WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine has filed a lawsuit against five automotive companies alleging they violated the District's environmental laws through a decade of toxic oil spills.
Racine filed suit Aug. 28 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia against Andrew Schaeffer, who owns commercial property in Ward Five's Langdon neighborhood, as well as several auto repair and sales businesses on Channing Street Northeast. Racine alleges the defendants failed to take steps to prevent oil spills and leaks, improperly stored hazardous waste as well as failed to pay previous penalties.
According to Racine's office, the defendants' businesses, which are several hundred feet from a storm water basin that feeds into a tributary of the Anacostia River, used oil containing benzene and other carcinogens.
“These businesses flouted the law for far too long, threatening the health and safety of District residents and the Anacostia River,” Racine said in a statement. “My office is devoting new resources to cracking down on chronic polluters and will take action to stop businesses from violating the district’s environmental laws.”
According to the attorney general's office, the defendants violated the District's Water Pollution Control Act of 1984 and the Hazardous Waste Management Act of 1977.
The attorney general's office is seeking monetary and injunctive relief as well as penalties to the district.