All articles tagged with #environmental violations
The Trump-era EPA has reportedly instructed staff to halt enforcement actions against fossil fuel companies in the Midwest, reflecting a broader deregulatory push and reduced enforcement activity, including cuts to the Justice Department's environmental division, raising concerns about increased pollution and climate impact.
Tesla, led by Elon Musk, is accused of multiple environmental violations, including dumping toxic pollutants in Austin, Texas, and misleading regulators about equipment issues. A whistleblower claims Tesla pressured employees to lie to authorities. Musk, appointed by Donald Trump to lead a commission on reducing government regulations, has publicly criticized such regulations as burdensome. Tesla and Musk have not commented on these allegations.
Two dozen California counties are suing Tesla for its mishandling of hazardous waste at its Fremont Factory, alleging violations of the state's health code. The complaint accuses Tesla of improper disposal, transportation, and handling of hazardous materials, including those used in the production and servicing of electric vehicles. The list of counties involved in the lawsuit includes San Joaquin, Alameda, Los Angeles, and many others. This is not the first time Tesla has faced environmental legal action, having previously paid penalties to the EPA for air pollutant record-keeping violations.
The Justice Department has filed a complaint against eBay, alleging that the company unlawfully sold and distributed hundreds of thousands of products in violation of environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, and the Toxic Substances Control Act. The complaint accuses eBay of selling aftermarket defeat devices that increase pollution emissions, distributing unregistered or restricted-use pesticide products, and violating the TSCA Methylene Chloride Rule. The Justice Department seeks injunctive relief and civil penalties for these violations.
Thirteen coal companies owned by the family of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice are being sued by the federal government over unpaid penalties for previous mining law violations that pose health and safety risks or threaten environmental harm. The lawsuit says the total amount of penalties, fees, interest, and administrative expenses owed by the defendants is about $7.6 million. Justice, who was not named in the lawsuit, accused the Biden administration of retaliation.
The DOJ has filed a civil complaint against Jim Justice III, son of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, and 13 coal companies he owns, alleging unpaid fines for earlier mining violations. The complaint claims the firms committed over 130 violations of federal mining law between 2018 and 2022 and ignored more than 50 warnings from the government to halt operations until they had been resolved. The alleged violations accrued $7.6 million in unpaid fees and interest. The governor, who is running for Senate, has suggested the action could be politically motivated.
Crimson Holdings, LLC, a Wisconsin-based company that produces powdered eggs in Adrian, Michigan, is facing legal action and environmental violations due to foul odors emanating from its plant. The company has invested nearly $2 million in improvements to the facility, including a new 100-foot exhaust stack, to cut odors, but complaints continue to stack up. A judge has ordered the plant to shut down during the daytime, putting production targets off the table. The company plans to establish a citizens advisory council with residents to allow for regular feedback on odor concerns.
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has vacated permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, an interstate natural gas pipeline backed by Senator Joe Manchin, citing the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's failure to properly consider earlier violations of water quality standards by the pipeline. The pipeline's Virginia permits were approved days earlier, but the court ruled that West Virginia's reviews specifically had been insufficient. Manchin called the decision "infuriating," describing the pipeline as essential to American energy security amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The Shell cracker plant in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, has announced an increased flaring incident, which lasted for almost three hours and caused intense noise and light pollution up to ten miles away. The plant has received three notices of environmental violations from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection since it opened in October. Community watchdog groups and residents are calling for transparency and accountability from Shell.