Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Media Contact: Michael Rafferty, (651) 297-8294 Technical Contact: Katie Koelfgen, (651) 297-8506 St. Paul, Minn. - MetroPlains Development LLC, Key Construction Inc., and Bradburn Wrecking Company, Inc. have paid a total of $29,000 in penalties for improper management of asbestos-containing waste during renovation and demolition of parts of the old Winona Middle School. MetroPlains Development is located in St. Paul, Minn., while Key Construction and Bradburn Wrecking are located in Wichita, Kan. MetroPlains, the developer for the property, paid $6,500 for a violation that alleged failure to adequately survey the school for asbestos prior to demolition and renovation. Key Construction and Bradburn Wrecking paid $22,500 for alleged violations including failure to properly notify the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) of demolition, failure to properly identify asbestos-containing material prior to demolition, and failure to properly manage asbestos-containing waste disturbed during demolition. After discovery of the violations, asbestos-containing waste was sent for proper disposal and all three companies submitted a plan indicating how they will comply with regulations in the future. Levying penalties and fines is one of the MPCA's many tools used to encourage compliance with environmental laws. When calculating penalties, the MPCA takes into account how seriously the violation affected the environment, whether it is a first-time or repeat violation, and how promptly the violation was reported to appropriate authorities. It also attempts to recover the calculated economic benefit gained by failure to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner. For a comprehensive list of enforcement actions by the MPCA, refer to the agency Web site at:/newscenter/enforcement.html.