Attorney General Miyares secures $250,000 civil penalty for illegal landfill

On January 20, 2023, Attorney General Jason Miyares announced that the Commonwealth of Virginia had been awarded $250,000 in a civil enforcement action involving the operation of an illegal landfill in Ruckersville, Virginia.

This recovery will go to the Virginia Environmental Emergency Response Fund, which helps fund emergency responses to environmental pollution and provides loans to small businesses to help with environmental pollution control.

“I’m so proud of the work done by my Environmental Section on behalf of our client, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Illegal landfills are a nuisance to communities, and I’m glad we were able to resolve the situation,” said Attorney General Miyares.

“Enforcement actions like this support DEQ’s statutory policy to protect the environment of Virginia in order to promote the health and well-being of the Commonwealth’s citizens. DEQ is grateful for the assistance from the Office of the Attorney General in securing this result as it promotes the understanding that the common good lies in environmental compliance and stewardship and that noncompliance is more costly than compliance,” said DEQ Director Michael Rolband.

In addition to a civil penalty, the court order requires the landfill’s owner to immediately cease the operation of the illegal landfill and to come into compliance with Virginia’s environmental laws and regulations.