A former Atlantic recycler has been fined and ordered by the Office of the Iowa Attorney General to clean up an abandoned property. A Fourth District Chief Judge, Jeffrey L. Larson, ordered Jason Wright, who now lives in Colorado, to pay an additional $50,000 penalty on top of a $100,000 order from last April. Wright and his former business, Recycling Services, LLC, were sued by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office on Feb. 1, 2019. The case was tried in Cass County on Feb. 5, 2020 and Judge Larson stated Wright is liable for future cleanup costs and could face contempt charges if he fails to comply with the court orders. “Wright repeatedly ignored the DNR’s notifications, warnings and an administrative order to remove the solid waste and contamination left behind by his company,” Larson wrote in the ruling issued late last week. “At trial, Wright appeared unconcerned about the condition of the property, and demonstrated no inclination he intends to comply with the administrative order.” The problems came to light when potential violations of storm water regulations were found by DNR personnel at the 1.65-acre site that housed used parts from automobiles and large machinery. Soil testing that followed showed petroleum contaminations above state standards. The business was closed in 2016 and the 2017 administrative order gave Wright until October of that year and pay a $7,000 penalty. In late October 2019, the DNR found the property unchanged along with gas tanks and stacks of waste up to 15 feet high.
