Denis L. Feron
Encyclopedia
Denis Lucien Emile Feron (born March 22, 1928) is former owner and Chief Executive Officer
of the Midwestern copper
smelter, Chemetco
. He was born in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Belgium
.
and in the 1956 Winter Olympics
in alpine skiing
. In 1952 he finished 63rd in the downhill event
, 73rd in the giant slalom competition
, 46th in the slalom contest but was eliminated in the first run.<
Four years later he finished 38th in the 1956 downhill event, 46th in the slalom competition
, and 65th in the giant slalom contest
.
His older brother Michel competed in the 1948
and 1952 Winter Games, also in alpine skiing.
Clean Water Act
for using an illegal secret discharge pipe to deliberately pump hazardous waste water contaminated with various pollutants and industrial waste including cadmium
, lead
and zinc
into Long Lake
, a tributary of the Mississippi River
. Those named in the indictment were: Chemetco President Denis L. Feron, Gary Reed, George Boud Jr., Roger Copeland, Kevin Youngman, and Chemetco plant manager Bruce Hendrickson. Before filing for bankruptcy in 2001, Chemetco produced about 50% of the United States copper
output from non-mined sources
Although Feron was never served with a valid summons or warrant, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has posted him on their list of most wanted fugitives accused of violating environmental laws and evading arrest.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the Midwestern copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
smelter, Chemetco
Chemetco
Chemetco was formerly one of the largest United States refiners of copper from recycled or residual sources.Its maximum output of 120,000 tons per year was approximately half of the entire U.S...
. He was born in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Early life
Feron competed in the 1952 Winter Olympics1952 Winter Olympics
The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, took place in Oslo, Norway, from 14 to 25 February 1952. Discussions about Oslo hosting the Winter Olympic Games began as early as 1935; the city wanted to host the 1948 Games, but World War II made that impossible...
and in the 1956 Winter Olympics
1956 Winter Olympics
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. This celebration of the Games was held from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, beat out...
in alpine skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
. In 1952 he finished 63rd in the downhill event
Alpine skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics - Men's downhill
The men's alpine skiing downhill was one of six events of the alpine skiing programme at the 1952 Winter Olympics. It was held on Saturday, February 16, 1952, and started at 1 p.m.....
, 73rd in the giant slalom competition
Alpine skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics - Men's giant slalom
The men's alpine skiing giant slalom event was part of the alpine skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics programme. It was the first appearance of the event. The competition was held on Friday, February 15, 1952 and started at 1 p.m.....
, 46th in the slalom contest but was eliminated in the first run.<
Four years later he finished 38th in the 1956 downhill event, 46th in the slalom competition
Alpine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics – Men's slalom
The men's slalom at the 1956 Winter Olympics was held on 31 January on the Col Druscie run. The course was long with a vertical drop of . The first run had 79 gates, the second run had 92 gates. Fifty-seven athletes finished both runs. Twenty-three athletes were disqualified during the two...
, and 65th in the giant slalom contest
Alpine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics – Men's giant slalom
The men's giant slalom at the 1956 Winter Olympics was held on 29 January. It was contested on the Ilio Colli run on Mount Floria. The length of the course was with a vertical drop. There were 71 gates for the men to navigate on the course. Ninety-five men from twenty-nine countries entered...
.
His older brother Michel competed in the 1948
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
and 1952 Winter Games, also in alpine skiing.
Indictment
On April 21, 1999, a federal grand jury charged Chemetco Inc., Feron, and five of his employees with violating the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Clean Water Act
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
for using an illegal secret discharge pipe to deliberately pump hazardous waste water contaminated with various pollutants and industrial waste including cadmium
Cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Similar to zinc, it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and similar to mercury it shows a low...
, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
into Long Lake
Long Lake
-Canada:Long Lake and its French language equivalent, "Lac Long", is the most commonly used name for a geographical feature in Canada. There are 203 Long Lakes and 164 occurrences of Lac Long...
, a tributary of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Those named in the indictment were: Chemetco President Denis L. Feron, Gary Reed, George Boud Jr., Roger Copeland, Kevin Youngman, and Chemetco plant manager Bruce Hendrickson. Before filing for bankruptcy in 2001, Chemetco produced about 50% of the United States copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
output from non-mined sources
Although Feron was never served with a valid summons or warrant, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has posted him on their list of most wanted fugitives accused of violating environmental laws and evading arrest.
Closure of case
- The Court never acquired personal jurisdiction over Denis Feron.
- The Court did not find Feron guilty of any violation.
- The Court did not assess a fine against Feron, restrict his entry into the US or hold him to any other penalty in the case.
- However Feron paid $500,000 restitution to be expressly used to assist a USEPA environmental remediation program at and near the Chemetco plant site.
- On the Motion of the US District Attorney, all charges against Feron, without delay, were dismissed by the Court on February 22.
- The official Court records do not affirmatively recite that Feron is or was "guilty" of any crime.