Attorney general sues Greene County contractor

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has filed suit against a Greene County contractor for allegedly disposing of solid waste illegally following the May 2011 Joplin tornado.

Koster claims Bryan Weldon and his company - registered in Springfield in 2008 as Weldon Contractors and Construction LLC - violated the state's Solid Waste Management Law and its Cave Resources Act, according to a news release.

Weldon and his company allegedly dumped roughly 100 cubic yards of demolition waste from Joplin structure damaged in the tornado into an abandoned mine shaft near Neck City in Jasper County, a location where waste could reach surface or groundwater. Koster also claims Weldon violated the Cave Resources Act by introducing solid waste into the subsurface waters of the state via the mine shaft.

“Missouri’s natural resources are important to this state and must be protected,” Koster said in the release. “No one should be allowed to use a mine shaft as an illegal dump, and those who abuse the environment in this way will be prosecuted.”

Koster has asked for a preliminary and permanent injunctions to prohibit Weldon and his company from violating the Solid Waste Management Law and the Cave Resources Act. He also is seeking civil penalties, plus court costs.