ESG Enforcement Tracker

Key facts:

Eight District and City Attorneys for Southern California Districts have reached a US$7.7 million settlement with Cellco Partnership DBA Verizon Wireless. The settlement ends civil action by the District Attorneys that resulted from Verizon Wireless’ alleged failure to comply with storage and reporting conditions surrounding hazardous material at their cell tower sites.

Verizon Wireless is the largest provider of mobile telephone services in the United States, owning and operating thousands of cell sites at which hazardous materials and above ground petroleum storage tanks are used to power emergency generators and backup systems. Items stored at these locations above a threshold quantity are classified as hazardous and require permits along with detailed reporting and proper hazardous materials management under California law.

It was found that since 2019 Verizon had failed properly to report hazardous materials, train on hazardous materials, allow on-site inspections, and pay permit fees for multiple site locations.

It was confirmed there was no evidence of environmental harm at the sites and after prosecutors notified Verizon of these violations, the company cooperated fully with prosecutors, including implementing policies and procedures to ensure future and ongoing compliance.

Under the final judgment, Verizon will pay a total of US$7.7 million. This comprises US$7.125 million in civil penalties, US$375,000 in Supplemental Environmental Compliance Projects, and US$200,000 in investigative costs.

The District Attorney’s Offices represented in this action are the District Attorneys of Los Angeles, Orange, Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura Counties along with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.