Concord Asbestos Removal Fined $18K

Attorney General Michael A. Delaney announced Wednesday that a Merrimack County Superior Court judge has ordered an $18,000 fine in the case of unlawful asbestos removal at two residential construction sites.

The penalty is against Walter Jensen and his company, Summer and Winter Construction LLC, for the illegal disposal of asbestos in 2005 and 2006, Delaney said.

The judgment comes after a trial late last year. The rest of Delaney's report today:

"Because of the known health risks related to human exposure to asbestos, the removal and disposal of asbestos are highly regulated. The Court found that Mr. Jensen knew about those regulations and knew that 'the manner in which he removed and disposed of asbestos was illegal.' At trial, Mr. Jensen testified that although removal may have not conformed to the rules, the material was properly disposed at the Turnkey Waste Management Facility in Rochester, N.H. (“Turnkey Facility”). However, based on the Turnkey’s records and the testimony of its employee, the court found that Mr. Jenson failed to notify Turnkey employees that they were disposing of asbestos and characterized Jensen’s conduct as 'potentially injurious to public health.'"

The $18,000 penalty represents ten times the amount that the defendants received in revenue from these removal projects.