Corporate Pollution Case Study: Carlile Transportation and Alaska’s Environment

The Human Story: The Hidden Dangers of the Supply Chain

For the workers at the Carlile Transportation Systems facility in Anchorage, Alaska, and the surrounding community, the daily hum of a major logistics hub is a fact of life. But hidden behind the routine of moving goods, a pattern of dangerous and illegal practices was allegedly putting their health and the local environment at risk.

A federal inspection by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uncovered a series of violations, from illegally storing hazardous waste to unsafely handling used oil and aerosol cans. This is a story about the unseen dangers embedded in our supply chains and the corporate negligence that allows them to fester.

The Corporate Playbook: How the Harm Was Done

The EPA’s settlement with Carlile Transportation details a corporate playbook of cutting corners and disregarding fundamental safety rules. An inspection of the Anchorage facility revealed three distinct types of violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), a federal law governing the disposal of solid and hazardous waste.

• Illegal Hazardous Waste Storage: As a transport company, Carlile is legally allowed to store hazardous waste at its facility for a maximum of 10 days without a permit. The EPA found that on at least 14 occasions, the company held shipments for far longer—in some cases up to 22 days, more than double the legal limit. This practice constitutes operating an unlicensed hazardous waste storage facility.
• Unsafe Aerosol Can Disposal: The company was found to be “manually” puncturing used aerosol cans. An operator explained to the inspector that they would “allow residues to dry and evaporate in the container” before throwing the punctured cans into the regular municipal trash. This dangerous process releases harmful pollutants directly into the air, poses a fire and explosion risk to workers, and violates federal laws that require the use of specialized safety equipment and the recycling of the empty cans.
• Improper Used Oil Management: Throughout the facility’s truck shop, inspectors observed containers of used oil that were not clearly marked with the words “Used Oil” as required by law, increasing the risk of mismanagement and accidental spills.

A Cascade of Consequences: The Real-World Impact

Each of these violations carries significant risks for public health, worker safety, and the environment.

Environmental Degradation & Public Health

Storing hazardous waste for extended periods without the safeguards of a permitted facility increases the likelihood of leaks and spills, which can contaminate soil and groundwater.

Similarly, unlabeled drums of used oil can be easily mishandled, leading to spills that poison the earth. The practice of letting aerosol can residues “evaporate” is a direct and illegal release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere, contributing to air pollution and posing a health risk to the surrounding community.

Worker Safety

The most immediate danger was to the Carlile employees tasked with puncturing aerosol cans by hand. Without a specialized device designed to “effectively contain the residual contents and any emissions,” workers were directly exposed to potentially toxic and flammable chemicals, creating an unnecessary and illegal risk to their health and safety.

Analysis: A System Designed for This — The Cost of Cutting Corners

This case is a stark example of how, under the pressures of neoliberal capitalism, environmental and safety regulations are often treated as obstacles to efficiency and profit. Each of Carlile’s violations represents a shortcut.

Holding waste shipments longer may be logistically cheaper. Manually puncturing cans avoids the cost of purchasing and maintaining specialized equipment. Lax labeling protocols save time and effort.

This is a systemic issue where the costs of compliance are directly felt by the company, but the costs of non-compliance—like potential soil contamination or long-term health effects for workers—are externalized onto the public.

The late-stage capitalistic system incentivizes companies to gamble that they won’t get caught, because in many cases, the financial penalty for a violation is far less than the cost of long-term, rigorous compliance.

Dodging Accountability: The Power of the “No-Fault” Settlement

When confronted by the EPA, Carlile Transportation Systems opted for an “Expedited Settlement Agreement.” This process allowed the company to resolve the matter quickly and with a relatively small penalty of $20,000.

Critically, as part of this agreement, the company was not required to admit to the factual allegations. The document explicitly states that the company “neither admits nor denies the factual allegations contained herein.” This is a common legal maneuver that allows a corporation to end a regulatory action without a formal admission of guilt, thereby limiting its public and legal liability.

It is a form of dodging full accountability, turning a series of dangerous failures into a simple financial transaction. The $20,000 fine, for a pattern of violations at a major transportation hub, can easily be seen as a minor “cost of doing business” rather than a meaningful deterrent.

Reclaiming Power: Pathways to Real Change

This case demonstrates that the most effective tool for protecting communities and workers from this kind of corporate negligence is a strong and active regulatory state. None of these violations would have been discovered without the EPA’s on-site inspection.

The pathway to reclaiming power is to demand that agencies like the EPA are fully funded, staffed, and empowered to conduct surprise inspections and enforce the law. Public pressure can also demand that settlement penalties are not merely a cost of doing business, but are significant enough to truly deter future misconduct.

Conclusion: A Story of a System, Not an Exception

The case of Carlile Transportation a story of the mundane, everyday failures of our glorious late-stage capitalistic system that prioritizes speed and profit over safety and sustainability.

It reveals how a series of small, cost-cutting decisions can add up to a significant threat to our environment and our health. It is a reminder that without vigilant oversight and meaningful consequences, the hidden costs of our economy will continue to be paid by workers, communities, and the planet.

All factual claims in this article were derived from the attached court document: In the Matter of: Carlile Transportation Systems, LLC, Docket No. RCRA-10-2025-0109 (U.S. EPA, Region 10).

Carilile has a website that you can check out: https://www.carlile.biz/

Alternatively, you should click on this link to the EPA’s website to see the Statutory Authority and Jurisdiction document on this case. Real exciting stuff, I know!: https://yosemite.epa.gov/OA/RHC/EPAAdmin.nsf/Filings/91BE6084A6BA46D585258CD5006F2E60/$File/Carlisle%20Auto%20&%20Truck%20Salvage%20LLC_CWA%20AOC_July%2028%202025.pdf