Atlantic recycler must pay $150,000, clean up abandoned site, judge rules
A former Atlantic vehicle recycler has been ordered to pay an additional $50,000 penalty for violating environmental laws and ignoring state orders to clean up an abandoned site, reports Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller’s office. Fourth District Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Larson ruled that Jason Wright, who now lives in Colorado, is liable for future cleanup costs and could face contempt charges if he fails to comply with the order. The ruling is on top of a previous $100,000 unpaid penalty on Wright’s business, Recycling Services LLC, which was found to have contaminated stormwater runoff and spilled hazardous fluids at the company’s 1.65-acre property where Wright recycled used parts of automobiles and large machinery.