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Des Moines developer to pay $500,000 for asbestos violations |
Thu 5/7/2009
IOWA – A Des Moines developer will pay $500,000 in fine following an inspection that found asbestos in a downtown building during renovations.
Bob Knapp, the owner of the holding company Equitable L.P., as well as the office of the attorney general has agreed to the fine Tuesday in Polk County District Court.
State Inspections discovered asbestos all over the historic building, which was built in 1924. A part of the building was being renovated for luxury condominiums.
The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission was referring the case to the office of attorney general as the inspectors believed the $10,000 maximum fine allowed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources was too little for this case.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said that Knapp’s company totally ignored asbestos-handling requirements during renovations from 2005 to 2007, until the involvement of Iowa DNR.
According to Miller, the fine that Knapp will be paying is the state’s largest civil penalty for an asbestos violation.
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