Elon Musk's company has been fined after dumping massive amounts of toxic liquid into Las Vegas' sewer system.
A local environmental authority has imposed a fine approaching $500,000 on the Boring Company following the firm's dumping of 'drilling fluids' into manholes across Las Vegas. The act has resulted in 'substantial damage' to the region’s infrastructure, a violation note issued by an official revealed.
According to the Clark County Water Reclamation District (CCWRD), Boring Company workers refused to stop dumping toxic waste even after inspectors arrived and told them to stop.
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The next day, the company allegedly 'feigned compliance' and continued dumping the wastewater after they 'assumed district inspectors had departed the property.'
County cleanup crews reportedly had to remove 12 cubic yards of 'drilling mud, drilling waste, and miscellaneous solid waste' from one of its sewage treatment facilities, as per Fortune.
The drilling fluids mentioned are the toxic liquids that sit at the bottom of tunnels as Boring's machines dig through the Earth. These liquids contain various chemicals, including one called MasterRoc AGA 41S. Several Boring workers have already suffered chemical burns on their skin from exposure to these substances.
This is just the latest controversy for Boring Company. Employees and regulators have previously accused the company of ignoring safety rules while building a network of tunnels under Las Vegas. The company says the tunnels will eventually become an 'underground highway' for Tesla cars.
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The Clark County water agency said Boring Company broke federal laws and is charging them $493,297.08 in total fines, including $131,297.08 to cover the cleanup costs.
CCWRD said the fine was so high due to 'the egregious nature of the violations, the substantial damage to district infrastructure, the district emergency resources expended responding to the Violations, and [Boring Company’s] acknowledgement of responsibility for the Violations.'
Records show that several Boring Company executives attended a hearing with CCWRD in late September, where the company admitted fault and agreed not to begin drilling at new locations 'until certain conditions were met.'
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"Mr. Fazzino attempted to minimize the extent of the discharge by falsely claiming that the discharge was initiated only the night before—contrary to the District’s inspection records from the day prior," the cease-and-desist letter said. "TBC’s brazen refusal to stop its illicit discharges after being caught in the act, coupled with TBC’s representative’s false statements to District inspectors, proves TBC’s activities to be knowing and intentional."
The letter said that Boring Company were investigating and had taken steps to fix the problem, including disconnecting certain sewer connections and sealing leaks in the tunnels.
Launched in 2017, the Boring Company is one of Elon Musk's lesser-known businesses, though it's just as ambitious as his rocket company, SpaceX, or his brain-chip company, Neuralink. The company has raised over $900 million from major Silicon Valley investors like Sequoia Capital, according to PitchBook, but it has faced delays and multiple worker safety problems.