Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the Tesla factory in Fremont, California
Nathan Howard and Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Tesla has been sued over allegations it mishandled hazardous waste in California.District attorneys allege Elon Musk’s company disposed of waste at the wrong trash sites.Tesla has said it’s addressing its waste management programs.
Tesla was hit with a lawsuit on Tuesday that alleges the electric-car maker mishandled hazardous waste at its factories in California.
District attorneys representing 25 counties in California filed the lawsuit in San Joaquin County Court and are requesting the court force Tesla to properly take care of its hazardous waste going forward and pay a series of civil penalties.
Reuters was the first to report on the legal filing and said Tesla could face penalties as high as $70,000 for each violation per day.
Tesla disposed of hazardous waste into trash sites “not permitted to accept hazardous waste” and “failed to properly mark, label, and store containers and tanks of hazardous waste” at its facilities, according to the lawsuit.
The waste included things like oil, paint, and used batteries — materials that could make their way into the groundwater if not properly disposed of, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also alleges Tesla didn’t properly train its employees on how to deal with hazardous materials.
Tesla had noted that the district attorneys were investigating its “waste segregation practices” in its recent 10-K filing.
“Tesla has implemented various remedial measures, including conducting training and audits, and enhancements to its site waste management programs, and settlement discussions are ongoing,” the company said in the regulatory filing. “While the outcome of this matter cannot be determined at this time, it is not currently expected to have a material adverse impact on our business.”
A spokesperson for the car company didn’t immediately respond to BI’s request for comment.
It’s not the first time Tesla has faced scrutiny for the environmental impact of its factories. In 2019, Tesla paid the Environmental Protection Agency a $31,000 settlement over alleged hazardous waste violations at the Fremont Factory. In 2022, Tesla paid the EPA $275,000 after the agency claimed the Fremont Factory had violated the Clean Air Act.
Similarly, Elon Musk’s The Boring Company got violations from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in Bastrop, Texas after a complaint alleged the tunnel-digging company had allowed untreated wastewater to drain into the Colorado River.
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