Elmer v. S.H. Bell Co.

127 F. Supp. 3d 812, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 115501, 2015 WL 5102707
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedAugust 31, 2015
DocketCase No. 4:13-CV-02735
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 127 F. Supp. 3d 812 (Elmer v. S.H. Bell Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Elmer v. S.H. Bell Co., 127 F. Supp. 3d 812, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 115501, 2015 WL 5102707 (N.D. Ohio 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF OPINION AND ORDER

BENITA Y. PEARSON, District Judge.

Pending is S.H. Bell Company’s (“Defendant”) 1 Motion to Dismiss pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). ECF No. 53.. Defendant moves the Court to dismiss the second amended complaint (ECF No. 50) filed by Jody Elmer, Benjamin Milliron, Emily Milliron, and Steve Adkins (“Plaintiffs”).2 The Court has been advised, hav[817]*817ing reviewed Plaintiffs’ second amended complaint and exhibits (ECF No. 50); Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (ECF. No. 53); Plaintiffs’ opposition brief (ECF. No. 56); Defendant’s reply (ECF No. 57); and the applicable law. For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants in part, and denies in part, Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 53).

I. Background

Until recently, Defendant operated two facilities in the East Liverpool, Ohio area: the Little England facility (“Little England”), and the Stateline facility (“State-line”). ECF No. 50 at PageID#: 1891, ¶ 19. Little England is located entirely in Ohio, and Stateline spans the border between Ohio and Pennsylvania. ECF No. 50-1. Defendant closed Little England in 2010. ECF No. 50 at PageID#: 1891, ¶ 19. Defendant continues to operate Stateline. ECF No. 50 at PagelD#: 1891, ¶ 19. Defendant’s business consists of storing and processing materials for industrial customers, including various metals, frac sands, minerals, fertilizers, and semi-finished raw materials. ECF No. 50 at PageID# : 1891, ¶ 17. As part of its operations, Defendant crushes these materials into pieces, and then transports the material to customers by truck, barge, or rail.3 ECF No. 50 at PageID# : 1891, ¶ 19.

Plaintiffs áre residents of East Liverpool who live within two miles of Defendant’s operations. ECF No. 50 at PageID# : 1888, ¶ 4-8. They allege that Defendant’s operations emit particulate matter, including manganese and chromium, into the air. ECF No. 50 at Pa-gelD# : 1892, ¶ 22. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (“OEPA”), inhaled manganese and inhaled chromium adversely affect a person’s health. ECF No. 50-5 at PageID# : 1946. Long-term inhalation of manganese can harm a person’s central nervous system, reduce visual reaction time, reduce hand steadiness, and reduce eye-hand coordination. ECF No. 50-5 at PageID# : 1947. Chronic exposure to manganese can result in feelings of weakness, lethargy, tremors, a mask-like face, and psychological disturbances. ECF No. 50-5 at PageID# : 1947. Chronic inhalation of chromium can result in asthma, irritation of the respiratory tract, respiratory distress, and decreased respiratory function. ECF No. 50-5 at PageID# : 1947. Inhaled chromium is also linked to lung cancer. ECF No. 50-5 at PageID#: 1947. Plaintiffs contend that, as a result of their exposure to Defendant’s emissions on their person and property, they were harmed, suffer ongoing harm, and are entitled to relief. ECF No. 50 at PageID# : 1892, ¶ 30.

In 2008, the OEPA issued a report on the air quality of East Liverpool. ECF No. 50-5. The OEPA documented elevated concentrations of airborne toxins in East Liverpool’s ambient air, including results from a monitoring station about half a mile from Stateline where manganese concentrations were “... 3,500% [above] the [EPA’s] ‘no health effects’ level[,]” and represented the highest average concentration detected by any state. ECF No. 50-5 at PageID: 1951. The OEPA concluded that there are “... unacceptably high concentrations of airborne manganese and chromium [in] the East Liverpool area.” ECF No. 50-5 at PageID: 1952.

In 2010, the OEPA ordered Defendant to implement control measures to reduce manganese emissions from Defendant’s operations at Little England and Stateline. [818]*818ECF No. 5011. Although the OEPA only regulates the Ohio portion of Stateline, Defendant agreed to implement the order’s control measures on emission units located not only in Ohio, but Pennsylvania as well. ECF No. 50-11 at PageID#: 2043, ¶ 1. The OEPA’s order also provides that its provisions do not waive or compromise any other statutes or regulations applicable to Defendant. ECF No. 50-11 at PageID#: 2055, ¶ VIII.

In 2011, the OEPA granted Defendant an air pollution Permit-to-Install and Operate (“PTIO”) for Stateline. ECF No. 50-13. Under the terms of the PTIO, Defendant may install and operate specific emission-producing units. ECF No. 50-13 at PageID#: 2106. The PTIO specifies the Defendant’s annual emission limit, record-keeping and monitoring requirements, and testing methods for each individual emission unit. ECF No. 50-13. The PTIO obligates Defendant to monitor Stateline’s manganese and chromium emissions, by unit, and report them to the OEPA semiannually. ECF No. 50-13 at PageID#: 2123; 2130 ¶2. Defendant must also submit quarterly reports to the OEPA documenting any month during which Defendant exceeded its manganese or chromium emission limits. ECF No. 50-13 at PageID#: 2129. Defendant must also keep all PTIO-required records for five years from the date when the record was created, including monitoring data, test-chart recordings, and maintenance records. ECF No. 50-13 at PageID#: 2106.

In 2014, an environmental consulting firm collected and analyzed soil samples from Plaintiffs’ individual properties. ECF No. 50-16. The firm’s analysis revealed manganese deposits on Plaintiffs’ properties ranging from 1,200 to 15,000 milligrams per kilogram. ECF No. 50-16. All of the samples exceeded Ohio’s average expected amount of manganese that occurs naturally. ECF No. 50-16. Half of the samples exceeded the EPA’s Health Based Single Chemical Residential Generic Contact Standard. ECF No. 50-16.

Plaintiffs assert that they were harmed by manganese and chromium emissions generated by Defendant’s operations, and bring seven claims against Defendant, including: (1) trespass; (2) private nuisance; (3) negligence; (4) public nuisance; (5) statutory nuisance; (6) nuisance per se; and (7) medical monitoring. ECF No. 50, amend, by ECF No. 55.4 Defendant moves the Court under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) to dismiss Plaintiffs’ claims for failure to state a claim, or in the alternative, abstain from this action based on the doctrine of primary jurisdiction. ECF No. 53. Defendant also argues that the Clean Air Act (“CAA”) preempts Plaintiffs’ state law claims; and that Plaintiffs’ claims related to chromium and Little England are time-barred. ECF No. 53.

For the reasons discussed below, the Court grants in part, and denies in part, Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss. Specifically: (1) the Court will not abstain from this action because of the doctrine of primary jurisdiction; (2) the CAA does not preempt Plaintiffs’ claims; (3) Plaintiffs’ claims related to chromium are not time-barred; (4) Plaintiffs’ claims related to Little England are time-barred; (5) Plaintiffs’ claim for statutory nuisance is dismissed without prejudice; (6) Plaintiffs’ claims for medical monitoring, public nui-[819]*819sanee, and nuisance per se are dismissed; and (7) Plaintiffs’ claims for trespass, private nuisance, and negligence remain.

II. Legal Standard

To survive a Motion to Dismiss under Fed.R.Civ.P.

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Bluebook (online)
127 F. Supp. 3d 812, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 115501, 2015 WL 5102707, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/elmer-v-sh-bell-co-ohnd-2015.