The Supreme Court will consider throwing out an $18 million penalty
against Texas-based Southern Union Co. for illegally storing mercury at a
rundown building in Rhode Island.
The justices said Monday they will hear the natural gas company's appeal
of the criminal penalty that was imposed by a federal judge and upheld
by an appeals court.
What makes the case unusual is that the company is challenging the size
of the penalty under a line of Supreme Court cases concerning prison
sentences.
Southern Union had used the building in Pawtucket to store outdated
mercury-sealed gas regulators that it removed from customers' homes. The
mercury was initially removed and shipped to a recycling center. But
when that work stopped, the regulators and loose mercury were left to
accumulate inside the building.
No comments:
Post a Comment