Beer distributor charged with polluting surface runoff

The Teamsters Union has filed a complaint with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection charging Capitol Beverage Company, a West Virginia distributor of Miller and Coors beers, with dumping out-of-date beer into a stormwater drain on the company's property. The complaint was filed after several Miller and Coors delivery drivers raised objections to the practice in recent discussions regarding problematic business practices at the company...

June 20, 2008

2 min read

• Teamsters file charges against capitol beverage company for dumping expired beer into stormwater drain

CHARLESTON, WV, June 19, 2008 -- The Teamsters Union filed a complaint with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection today charging Capitol Beverage Company, a West Virginia distributor of Miller and Coors beers, with dumping out-of-date beer into a stormwater drain on the company's property.

The complaint was filed after several Miller and Coors delivery drivers raised objections to the practice in recent discussions regarding problematic business practices at the company. Capitol Beverage distributes Miller and Coors products, along with a variety of imports including Corona and Guinness, to 26 counties in West Virginia.

"We have an obligation to make sure our employers are responsible stewards of the environment and are not engaging in practices that violate environmental regulations," said Jack Cipriani, Director of the Teamsters Brewery and Soft Drink Conference. "We believe that corporate citizens such as SABMiller and Coors also have a responsibility to the community to ensure that the companies they hire to distribute their products are not hurting the environment or violating the letter or spirit of state or federal environmental laws."

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.

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