Former Sidney man sentenced in federal court

A former Sidney man will serve almost 3 years in prison after being sentenced in federal court Monday.

44-year-old Edward Miller was sentenced to 33 months in prison in a federal court for disposing of hazardous waste without a permit. He will serve a three-year term of supervised release after his sentence is over. There is no parole in the federal system.

He must also pay over $25,000 in restitution.

According to a release from U.S. Attorney Joe Kelly, an investigation by the EPA found that Miller loaded a truck with various chemicals from a warehouse in Sidney. Miller then drove the truck to an area south of Aurora, Nebraska and dumped the hazardous waste at three undeveloped sites where dumping is not permitted.

The EPA says the chemicals Miller dumped are considered hazardous because they are corrosive and flammable.

The release says Miller did not have a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit. The RCRA regulates the disposal of hazardous waste. Disposing of hazardous waste is illegal without a RCRA permit, according to Kelly. 

“The defendant’s disregard for the law created serious human health and environmental hazards,” Assistant Special Agent in Charge Cate Holston of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division in Kansas said in the release.? “EPA and its law enforcement partners are committed to holding responsible parties accountable for violations that endanger our communities, first responders and the environment.”