Elon Musk’s Boring Company Fined Nearly $500,000 for Environmental Violations

The Boring Company, owned by Elon Musk, has been penalized with a fine of almost $500,000. The fine was imposed by a county environmental regulator for causing significant damage to the county’s infrastructure by dumping drilling fluids into Las Vegas manholes.

The Clark County Water Reclamation District (CCWRD) issued a notice of violation to the Boring Company last week. The notice accuses the company’s employees of continuing to dump drilling fluids even after being instructed to stop by the inspectors.

The company seemingly complied the following day, but resumed the dumping once they believed the inspectors had left, reports the Fortune.

The CCWRD had to clean up 12 cubic yards of drilling mud and other waste from one of its sewage treatment facilities due to the discharges by the Boring Company. The drilling fluids and spoils mentioned in the citation are believed to be the toxic liquid that collects at the bottom of the tunnels as the company’s machinery drills through earth and rock.

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This liquid can contain a variety of chemicals, including MasterRoc AGA 41S, which has caused burns to many Boring workers when they were directly exposed to it.

According to the outlet, the hefty fine of $493,297.08, which includes $131,297.08 for the district’s expenses to remedy the fluid dumping, is due to “the egregious nature of the violations, the substantial damage to district infrastructure, the district emergency resources expended responding to the Violations, and the company’s acknowledgement of responsibility for the Violations.”

Why It Matters: This is not the first time the Boring Company has been in the limelight for the wrong reasons. The company has been accused on several occasions of bypassing safety protocols or regulations as it constructs a network of tunnels below Las Vegas.

In the past three years, CCWRD has only issued a fine greater than $100,000 to one other company for wastewater discharge.

This incident further adds to the growing list of allegations against the Boring Company, raising concerns about its operational practices.

Elon Musk's Boring Company Fined Nearly $500,000 for Environmental Violations

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