TL;DR:
Federal environmental records from the EPA show that Lincoln Industries ran a high-volume metal finishing plant in Lincoln, Nebraska while mishandling hazardous waste in basic, repeatable ways. Inspectors found open, unlabeled, undated containers of hazardous waste across production lines, hazardous waste left outside containers, and emergency plans that local police, fire, and hospitals never received.
The evil corporation agreed to pay a civil penalty and accept a federal order after regulators treated the plant as an unpermitted hazardous waste storage facility. These failures put workers, first responders, and the surrounding community at risk so the details of how this happened matter.
Keep reading for how a modern factory turned essential protections into an afterthought and what that says about corporate power in a neoliberal economy.
A Hazardous Waste Operation Hiding in Plain Sight
At a 275,000-square-foot factory on West E Street in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln Industries runs three eight-hour shifts and employs about 620 full-time workers. The company has told the federal government since 1980 that it produces large amounts of hazardous waste each month. That status brings strict duties for how it stores, labels, and tracks dangerous materials!
When federal inspectors walked through the plant in late November 2023, they found something else: a facility that functioned as a hazardous waste storage operation without the legal permit that such a role requires. Open drums, unmarked cans, and loose waste in plating and coating areas showed that Lincoln Industries had treated hazardous waste rules as flexible guidance rather than hard limits.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responded with an enforcement action under federal hazardous waste law. The agency alleged that Lincoln Industries failed to determine whether multiple waste streams were hazardous, mishandled waste in nearly every step of its accumulation process, and ignored basic requirements for universal waste lamps and emergency planning. The company chose settlement over litigation and agreed to pay a $40,957 civil penalty while neither admitting nor denying the factual allegations!
How Lincoln Industries Mishandled Hazardous Waste
A plant that has generated hazardous waste for decades
Lincoln Industries formally notified EPA on June 27, 1980 that it was a “large quantity generator” of hazardous waste. That category covers facilities that generate significant volumes of dangerous waste and must follow the most stringent generator standards.
By November 28–29, 2023, when EPA inspectors arrived for a compliance evaluation, the company was still operating in that high-waste category and also handled universal waste (such as fluorescent lamps) and used oil. Inspectors reviewed operations across multiple production lines, laboratories, and a dedicated 90-day hazardous waste accumulation area.
Count 1: No basic determination of whether waste is hazardous
Federal rules require companies to examine each solid waste stream they produce and determine whether it is hazardous, using prescribed methods. At Lincoln Industries, inspectors identified at least five waste streams where the company had never performed this fundamental step, including:
- Paint booth filters stored in an open 55-gallon drum in the “Line 202” area
- Contaminated paper wipes and nitrile gloves in open trash cans and drums in the “Line 202,” “Line 14,” and “Line 210” areas
These materials came from processes that by design use chemicals, coatings, and solvents. Treating these piles of filters, wipes, and gloves as ordinary trash rather than potential hazardous waste removes them from the protections that federal law is meant to trigger.
Count 2: Operating as an unpermitted hazardous waste storage facility
Federal law allows generators to keep hazardous waste on-site for up to 90 days without a special storage permit, as long as they meet a series of conditions. Lincoln Industries failed those basic conditions on multiple fronts, which meant regulators considered the plant to be operating an unpermitted storage facility.
Key failures included:
- Open hazardous waste containers
- An open 5-gallon can of hazardous waste in the “Line 202” area during storage
- Undated hazardous waste containers
- A plastic bag in “Facility Maintenance”
- A 5-gallon can in the “Line 210” area
- Unlabeled hazardous waste containers
- The same plastic bag in “Facility Maintenance”
- The same 5-gallon can in the “Line 210” area
- Emergency contingency plan withheld from first responders
- The facility had not provided an up-to-date contingency plan to local police, fire departments, hospitals, and emergency response teams, even though the rules explicitly require it.
- Hazardous waste left outside containers
- Inspectors found hazardous waste that had not been placed in containers in:
- The “90-Day Hazardous Waste Accumulation” area
- The “Plating Line 31” area
- The “Plating Line 34” area
- The “Line 202” area
- Inspectors found hazardous waste that had not been placed in containers in:
Leaving hazardous waste outside containers increases the chance of spills, vapors, and uncontrolled reactions, particularly in hot, busy production zones.
Because these conditions broke the generator rules, the company lost the regulatory shield that allows on-site accumulation without a permit. EPA concluded that Lincoln Industries was operating as a hazardous waste storage facility without the permit that law requires.
Satellite accumulation failures: open, unlabeled containers near production
Rules allow “satellite accumulation” containers near points of generation so workers can quickly place waste where they work. Those containers still must remain closed and clearly marked.
Inspectors found:
- Open containers
- One 5-gallon container in the “Coating Lines” area
- One 55-gallon container in the “Coating Lines” area
- One 3-gallon container in the “QC Lab”
- Unlabeled containers
- One 5-gallon container in “Line 202”
- One 55-gallon container in “Line 14”
- One 5-gallon container in “Line 24”
- One 5-gallon container and two 4-liter containers in the “QC Lab”
These containers sit close to daily production and lab work. When they are open or unlabeled, splashes, fumes, and mistakes become far more likely, and everyone nearby stays in the dark about what danger sits inches from their hands and faces.
Count 3: Mishandling universal waste lamps
Universal waste rules offer streamlined management for items like fluorescent lamps, as long as handlers track how long they store them and keep them enclosed. At Lincoln Industries, inspectors documented a two-foot-square cardboard box of universal waste lamps that:
- Had no date showing when the lamps became waste or were received
- Was left open rather than closed to prevent breakage and releases
A broken lamp can release mercury and other materials into the air. Keeping the box open and undated turns a predictable hazard into a long-term unknown inside the plant.
Timeline: Decades of Hazardous Waste, Years of Non-Compliance
| Year / Date | Event at Lincoln Industries | What Went Wrong / Significance |
|---|---|---|
| June 27, 1980 | Company notifies federal authorities that it is a large quantity generator of hazardous waste | Acknowledges decades-long production of significant hazardous waste, triggering strict management duties. |
| Nov. 28–29, 2023 | EPA conducts hazardous waste compliance inspection at the Lincoln facility | Inspectors document open, unlabeled, undated containers, uncontainerized waste, missing contingency plan, and mishandled universal waste. |
| Oct. 17, 2025 | Company representative signs a Consent Agreement and Final Order | Lincoln Industries agrees to pay a $40,957 civil penalty and accept binding federal orders while neither admitting nor denying the allegations. |
Public Health and Environmental Risk Behind “Technical” Violations
Federal hazardous waste law exists to protect human health and the environment from the hazards of waste disposal, to reduce the amount of waste generated, and to make sure wastes are handled responsibly.
Each violation at Lincoln Industries chips away at those protections:
- Open containers and loose waste let dangerous substances evaporate into the air, spill onto floors, and mix unpredictably with other materials. Workers breathe those fumes and walk through those work areas every day.
- Missing labels and dates hide danger from employees, contractors, and emergency crews. Someone lifting a bag or can needs to know immediately whether it holds ordinary trash or hazardous waste.
- Missing contingency plans undercut local emergency responders. Police, firefighters, hospitals, and state and local teams depend on that plan to know what chemicals sit inside, what reactions to expect, and what protective gear they need.
- Mishandled waste lamps create long-term, low-level exposure risk in indoor spaces where workers spend entire shifts.
In a plant that runs three shifts around the clock, these are not occasional paperwork gaps. They are conditions that can reshape an entire workplace into a constant, low-grade hazard zone.
Regulatory Capture and Weak Deterrence in Practice
The enforcement documents show the formal power of the state on paper. EPA cites its authority to impose civil penalties that federal law has raised over time tens of thousands of dollars per day, per violation, with inflation adjustments reaching $124,426 for newer violations assessed after early 2025.
The actual outcome looks very different. Lincoln Industries pays a mere $40,957 civil penalty. Absolutely tiny. The evil company doesn’t even need to ad admit wrongdoing, even as it waives its right to contest the allegations or appeal the final order. The settlement resolves only its federal civil penalty liability for these specific violations and leaves room for further enforcement if the government chooses to act.
This structure mirrors a broader pattern under neoliberal capitalism. Regulators display large maximum penalties while negotiated settlements land at amounts that large firms can treat as operating costs. Companies avoid courtroom scrutiny, public testimony, and discovery of internal decision-making. Communities receive a brief enforcement action rather than a sustained shift in power over local environmental risk.
The State of Nebraska runs its own hazardous waste program under federal authorization. EPA retains authority to enforce, yet the system still relies on occasional inspections and self-reporting from companies like Lincoln Industries. An industrial plant can operate for decades with hazardous waste obligations while basic failures go unchecked until inspectors arrive during a narrow window of time.
Profit-Maximization Incentives Inside the Factory Gates
The settlement documents do not describe internal budgeting decisions or profit targets at Lincoln Industries. The pattern of violations speaks for itself. Required steps that cost time and attention (testing waste streams, labeling every container, logging dates, delivering contingency plans, sealing boxes) fell away in daily practice.
In a 620-person plant running three shifts, every action around hazardous waste competes with production schedules.
Under a neoliberal model that prizes output, speed, and cost reduction, management faces steady pressure to treat compliance tasks as overhead. When oversight is sporadic and penalties remain manageable, companies gain short-term savings by skimping on the “small” things: one open drum here, one missing date stamp there, one cardboard box left open for years.
That tradeoff shifts risk outward. Workers absorb chemical exposure and accident risk. Local responders carry the danger of entering a burning or leaking facility without complete information. Nearby residents live beside a plant that handles large volumes of hazardous waste with less discipline than the law expects.
Community Impact and Emergency Preparedness
One of the most revealing failures at Lincoln Industries involves the contingency plan. Rules demand that the company send a copy of its emergency plan to:
- Local police
- Fire departments
- Hospitals
- State and local emergency response teams
Inspectors found that the factory had not done so.
In practical terms, this means:
- Firefighters may arrive at a blaze without knowing which hazardous wastes sit inside, what fumes burning drums produce, or what explosions to expect.
- Hospitals may treat injured workers without pre-planning for likely chemical exposures.
- Emergency coordinators may plan evacuations and containment on the fly, rather than against a pre-agreed playbook.
When corporations withhold basic emergency information, communities lose the chance to prepare collectively for foreseeable hazards. Neoliberal ideology frames risk management as an internal corporate matter, yet when something goes wrong, it is the public that breathes the air, drinks the water, and calls 911.
Legal Minimalism: Doing Just Enough to Stay Inside the System
Lincoln Industries’ settlement follows a familiar template. The company:
- Admits jurisdictional facts (that EPA has authority)
- Neither admits nor denies the specific factual allegations
- Consents to pay the negotiated penalty
- Waives the right to challenge or appeal the final order
This strategy keeps the company inside the formal boundaries of law. It accepts the penalty and agrees to comply going forward. At the same time, it avoids any plain acknowledgement that it mishandled hazardous waste in ways that endangered workers and the community.
Under late-stage capitalism, this kind of legal minimalism becomes a business tactic. Firms treat compliance as a box-checking exercise. When regulators catch violations, companies negotiate a settlement, pay a fine, and move on. The system rewards those who treat safety and environmental protection as variables to be optimized rather than baseline obligations to people and ecosystems.
Corporate Accountability Fails the Public
EPA reserves the right in the order to pursue more enforcement, including higher daily penalties or emergency action if the plant presents an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health or the environment. The agency explicitly states that the settlement does not release the company from criminal liability or other legal claims.
On paper, this looks like a strong posture. In lived reality, communities see a company continue operating after paying an amount that, for a large industrial business, is manageable. No manager faces personal liability. No structural reforms appear in the publicly available record beyond a promise that Lincoln Industries now complies with hazardous waste law.
This gap between the scale of risk and the scale of consequence sends a clear signal across industries: hazardous waste violations carry financial cost, yet that cost remains negotiable and limited. The logic of neoliberal capitalism filters through enforcement itself. Markets demand low costs and high returns. Enforcement delivers predictable, absorbable penalties.
Pathways for Reform and Collective Action
Cases like Lincoln Industries point toward reforms that shift power toward workers and communities:
- Stronger, more frequent inspections at large hazardous waste generators, especially facilities with decades-long histories.
- Penalties that scale with company size and waste volume, so fines become real deterrents rather than routine expenses.
- Automatic, verifiable sharing of contingency plans with local responders, including public access to core summaries so residents know the risks in their neighborhoods.
- Worker-centered whistleblower protections and hazard training, ensuring employees can raise alarms about open containers, unlabeled drums, and missing plans without retaliation.
- Community monitoring and right-to-know laws that require transparent reporting on hazardous waste handling and violations.
These steps move corporate social responsibility from marketing language into enforceable practice. They help transform hazardous waste management from a private cost issue into a public safety obligation.
This Is the System Working as Intended
Lincoln Industries’ case offers a clear snapshot of how corporate ethics, regulatory weakness, and neoliberal capitalism interact. A large industrial plant generated hazardous waste for decades. Inspectors eventually found routine, preventable failures that made that waste more dangerous for workers, responders, and neighbors. The company settled, paid a moderate fine, and carried on under a binding order.
The consent agreement and final order referenced to write this article can be found on the EPA’s website: https://yosemite.epa.gov/OA/RHC/EPAAdmin.nsf/Filings/DB173A8937E079B885258D470041F425/$File/Lincoln%20Industries%20Consent%20Agreement%20and%20Final%20Order.pdf
đź’ˇ Explore Corporate Misconduct by Category
Corporations harm people every day — from wage theft to pollution. Learn more by exploring key areas of injustice.
- 💀 Product Safety Violations — When companies risk lives for profit.
- 🌿 Environmental Violations — Pollution, ecological collapse, and unchecked greed.
- 💼 Labor Exploitation — Wage theft, worker abuse, and unsafe conditions.
- 🛡️ Data Breaches & Privacy Abuses — Misuse and mishandling of personal information.
- 💵 Financial Fraud & Corruption — Lies, scams, and executive impunity.
NOTE:
This website is facing massive amounts of headwind trying to procure the lawsuits relating to corporate misconduct. We are being pimp-slapped by a quadruple whammy:
- The Trump regime's reversal of the laws & regulations meant to protect us is making it so victims are no longer filing lawsuits for shit which was previously illegal.
- Donald Trump's defunding of regulatory agencies led to the frequency of enforcement actions severely decreasing. What's more, the quality of the enforcement actions has also plummeted.
- The GOP's insistence on cutting the healthcare funding for millions of Americans in order to give their billionaire donors additional tax cuts has recently shut the government down. This government shut down has also impacted the aforementioned defunded agencies capabilities to crack down on evil-doers. Donald Trump has since threatened to make these agency shutdowns permanent on account of them being "democrat agencies".
- My access to the LexisNexis legal research platform got revoked. This isn't related to Trump or anything, but it still hurt as I'm being forced to scrounge around public sources to find legal documents now. Sadge.
All four of these factors are severely limiting my ability to access stories of corporate misconduct.
Due to this, I have temporarily decreased the amount of articles published everyday from 5 down to 3, and I will also be publishing articles from previous years as I was fortunate enough to download a butt load of EPA documents back in 2022 and 2023 to make YouTube videos with.... This also means that you'll be seeing many more environmental violation stories going forward :3
Thank you for your attention to this matter,
Aleeia (owner and publisher of www.evilcorporations.com)
Also, can we talk about how ICE has a $170 billion annual budget, while the EPA-- which protects the air we breathe and water we drink-- barely clocks $4 billion? Just something to think about....
