Company ordered to $280K for environmental violations linked to Goleta fires
GOLETA, Calif. – Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley teamed up with seven other district attorneys in the state to settle a case against a company violating environmental laws.
Builder Services Group, Inc., doing business as TruTeam of California, is an insulation contractor that operates in Santa Maria and previously in Goleta.
In February 2017, a fire broke out at the company's Goleta facility. An investigation found the fire started when employees combined two different hazardous wastes, causing a chemical reaction.
Another fire broke out in August 2018 when hazardous waste wasn't treated properly.
Investigations showed the company violated environmental laws across the state.
“These violations threatened the safety of the public, employees and first responders, thus my office takes very seriously the failure to comply with hazardous-waste and hazardous-materials laws,” Dudley said in a news release.
TruTeam neither admitted to nor denied the allegations.
The company will pay nearly $280,000 in penalties as part of a settlement.
That includes:
- $68,446 to Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
- $16,250 to Santa Barbara CUPA.
- $17,500 to State of California General Fund, Toxic Substances Control Account.
- $177,304 among the other District Attorney’s Offices on the prosecution team.
- $80,000 as Supplemental Environmental Projects.
- $20,000 to Craig Thompson Environmental Protection Prosecution Fund.
- $20,000 to CUPA Forum Environmental Protection Trust Fund.
- $40,000 to California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (“CalRecycle”), Farm and Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Grant Program.
- $50,000 in cost reimbursement.
- $11,375 to Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
- $5,654 to Santa Barbara CUPA.
- $32,971 among the other District Attorney’s Offices on the prosecution team and the other environmental health inspection agencies who contributed to the case.
