By SDCN Staff
Riverside, CA–The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office announced that a Stipulated Judgment has been entered in The People vs. Cellco Partnership (Verizon Wireless) to resolve violations of California’s Hazardous Materials Business Plan and Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act violations.
The statewide investigation secured a $7.7 million dollar judgment consisting of civil penalties, costs, and supplemental environmental projects.
The judgment in this civil lawsuit was filed in Orange County Superior Court and is the result of an investigation into Verizon Wireless for environmental violations at hundreds of the company’s wireless telecommunication facilities across Southern California.
Beginning in January 2019, violations occurred at numerous Verizon facilities where hazardous materials and above ground petroleum storage tanks are used to power emergency generators and backup systems. Verizon stores and uses materials such as lead acid batteries and petroleum products at these sites which require detailed reporting and proper hazardous materials management under California law. The complaint alleges that Verizon repeatedly failed to submit complete and accurate Hazardous Materials Business Plans to the California Environmental Reporting System. Verizon also failed to maintain copies of these plans onsite as required and failed to provide adequate employee training for responding to hazardous material releases.
Verizon also failed to allow inspections at multiple locations and failed to pay required permit fees that support local oversight of hazardous materials. These requirements exist to ensure that first responders, environmental regulators, and public safety officials have accurate information about hazardous materials stored at commercial sites in the event of an emergency.
Verizon was brought into compliance only after investigative agencies approached the company regarding its violations. There was no evidence of environmental harm at the facilities.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office will receive a total penalty of $813,437.50 plus $13,754.25 in costs. The Riverside County Department of Environmental Health will also receive $315,375 in civil penalties and $3,000 in costs. Verizon was also ordered to pay $375,000 in Supplemental Environmental Projects which will benefit the California CUPA Forum Board, Western States Project, California Hazardous Material Investigators Association, and Cal EPA –Environmental Enforcement and Training account.
Along with the Riverside County DA’s Office, other prosecutors’ Offices involved in the investigation include Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura, and the city attorney of Los Angeles.
This case was handled in Riverside County by Deputy District Attorney Lauren Martineau of the DA’s Environmental Protection Team.
