JACKSON, Miss. (AP) 鈥� A California-based company will pay just under $5 million in fines for discharging wastewater into a publicly owned sewage treatment plant in Mississippi without obtaining a valid state permit, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
View Inc., a glass-making firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, previously pleaded guilty to negligently discharging wastewater into a city sewer system from the company's sole manufacturing facility in Olive Branch, Mississippi. That discharge endangered residents in the north Mississippi community and Memphis suburb of almost 40,000, .
鈥淲hen companies place profit and convenience above public safety, we will do all we can to punish that behavior and protect the public,鈥� U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner said in a news release. 鈥淭his illegal discharge of wastewater into the public treatment facility demonstrated a blatant disregard for the safety and wellbeing of citizens in our District."
In addition to the fines, U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock sentenced the company to a three-year term of probation.
The company discharges about 248,000 gallons of wastewater per day from glass-cutting, grinding, washing and polishing directly into the city鈥檚 sewer system. But the company did so without a proper permit for years, prosecutors said.
鈥淯npermitted discharges of industrial wastewater can pose a serious threat to our nation鈥檚 wastewater treatment systems,鈥� said Charles Carfagno, a special agent with the Environmental Protection Agency.
The company did not answer a call to its general line and did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.
The Mississippi glass plant opened by View Inc. was initially touted as a successful economic development project by former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. In 2010, Barbour lured the company, previously known as Soladigm, to the state with a $40 million loan, according to The Commercial Appeal.
According to its website, the company makes 鈥渟mart windows鈥� that can lower energy costs and improve mental health. In July, the company reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to disclose $28 million in liabilities to address a defect in its windows. In a news release, the agency said it decided not to impose civil penalties because the company self-reported its misconduct.
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Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him at .
Michael Goldberg, The Associated Press
