The bankrupt former owner of a gasoline station cannot use the bankruptcy laws to evade responsibility for an environmental obligation by surrendering his property to the county for failure to pay taxes, a judge in Buffalo has held.
Western District Chief Bankruptcy Judge Carl L. Bucki held that as a condition of surrendering the property, debtor Wade Gollnitz must address the environmental issues related to bulk storage of petroleum, and if he does not, the state Department of Environmental Conservation can challenge the bankruptcy petition.
