City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced Wednesday that the statewide coalition her office is part of has reached a multimillion-dollar settlement of its lawsuit against a global freight and shipping company accused of violating California laws related to the storage and handling of hazardous materials.
XPO Inc. and XPO Logistics has two facilities in the city of Los Angeles. XPO will pay $7.9 million in penalties, $685,000 of which will go to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, and $304,000 to the Los Angeles Fire Department Certified Unified Program Agency, according to Feldstein Soto.
XPO also is required to make upgrades and changes to its protocols and facilities, including hiring an environmental compliance manager to ensure adherence with California law relating to underground storage tanks, hazardous waste, hazardous materials and above ground storage tanks, the city attorney said.
The accord reached in San Bernardino Superior Court was entered in conjunction with 20 District Attorneys’ offices. XPO’s corporate office and environmental compliance group were extremely cooperative with the prosecutors throughout the investigation and settlement process, according to Feldstein Soto. The judgment will be in place for at least five years
“California’s stringent environmental protection laws have been enacted for a reason, and when they are violated, we will take action,” Feldstein Soto said in a statement.
XPO stored hazardous materials at its facilities, including ignitable, toxic and corrosive materials, according to the city attorney. Despite being legally responsible for compliance with numerous provisions of California’s Health and Safety Code related to the management of hazardous materials, aboveground petroleum storage tanks and underground storage tanks, XPO failed to prevent the violations, according to the City Attorney’s Office.