Koster
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Legal Newsline) -- Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has filed a lawsuit over violations of the state's hazardous waste and solid waste laws against a Kansas City man.
Joseph P. Allen is alleged to have dumped abandoned vehicles, discarded barrels, drums, buckets and roofing shingles on property he formerly owned in Clinton County. The dumping, Koster alleges, violated the state's solid waste laws.
Allen is also alleged to have stored and collected hazardous wastes at the Clinton County site, including lead, cadmium and mercury, which is a potential threat to both the environment and to the health of Missourians in the area.
"Taking care of our environment is a responsibility we all share," Koster said. "This office takes that responsibility seriously and will continue to vigorously enforce the laws governing the use of our natural resources."
Koster's lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction against Allen requiring him to comply with Missouri's hazardous waste and solid waste laws. The lawsuit also seeks a civil penalty of $10,000 per day for each violation of the hazardous waste law and $10,000 per day for each violation of the solid waste law. Koster's lawsuit also asks the court to require Allen to pay all court costs.
Allen, Koster said, is currently facing criminal charges in Clinton County for some of his conduct.