Hazardous-Waste Laws and the Developer by Jeffrey G. Gilmore & Karen E. Harrison In assessing a potential building site, developers should be aware that even undeveloped land may have been a dumping ground, either legal or illegal, for hazardous waste. Furthermore, these sites needn't be the work of big industry; many small businesses have created hazardouswaste sites. Thousands, for example, have been created by gas stations that are now closed. Many of these sites occupy prime commercial land. Prospective developers should consider several risks. First, exposing employees to hazardous waste on the job site creates tort liability for any illnesses that result. Second, the developer, if also an owner, is liable to the federal government for the cost of site cleanup-even after
