AT&T Under Fire For Polluting Freshwater Resources With Hazardous Materials

County Attorney Ryan stated “The underground storage tanks AT&T buried throughout Harris County have leaked hazardous substances into the environment and have done so for years, affecting the neighborhoods across the county.”

In addition to the fact that AT&T’s actions are alleged to have violated state laws regulating underground storage tanks and the protection of the environment, Harris County’s already limited resources have been further strained by the need for the County to expend taxpayer resources and dollars to address contamination left behind by AT&T. Accordingly, Harris County is taking action on behalf of its citizens by filing this lawsuit seeking civil penalties and to deter future misconduct.

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Among other things, Harris County’s lawsuit contends that public records demonstrate AT&T’s neglect of its UST systems in Harris County because it did not have a system or program in place designed to prevent its underground storage tanks from leaking and contaminating the valuable freshwater resources of Harris County or to actively clean-up the pollution once it learned of it. In a suit similar to Harris County’s suit filed today, AT&T entities paid $25 million in civil penalties and other amounts to the people of California in 2006 to settle claims associated with a “[UST] system that was neglected,” according to California’s Attorney General. Harris County contends that AT&T has similarly neglected to put into place a system to address its USTs in Harris County and is subject by law to civil penalties to the people of Harris County and the State of Texas.

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