Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has obtained a consent judgment against a Springfield man for allegedly violating the Missouri Air Conservation Act.
Robert Peterson, who owned and operated Accurate Building Inspections, performed asbestos abatement work without a contract, according to a news release from Koster's office.
Accurate Building Inspections' registration with the secretary of state expired in October 2009 for failure to renew, according to
state records. The company operated leased space at 300 S. John Q. Hammons Parkway, Ste. 204.
According to Koster, Peterson performed work at an unnamed commercial building in Springfield after falsely advertising that he was a registered asbestos abatement contractor. He also failed to give notice to the Department of Natural Resources that he was doing the project, the judgment said.
In addition to the contract-oriented breaches, Koster said that Peterson deposited asbestos-containing material in unlabeled trash bags into a landfill, providing documentation to the landfill stating the enclosed material was safe.
“Missouri’s Air Conservation Law was enacted to protect both citizens’ health and our environment,” Koster said in the release. “The attorney general’s office will not look the other way when these violations occur.”
With the consent judgment, the court issued a $10,000 civil penalty; permanently prohibited Peterson from violating the Air Conservation Act; ordered that any future asbestos abatement work must be done with the required registration from DNR; and ordered Peterson to provide DNR with a detailed account of all work or services he has performed as an asbestos abatement contractor, the release said.
According to the release, $8,000 of the civil penalty will be suspended provided Peterson complies with the terms of the judgment.[[In-content Ad]]
