Dive Brief:
- A federal judge has ordered San Francisco Bay Area development company Wildlife Management and its owner James Tong to pay $1 million and set aside 107 acres of land for endangered species as penalties for damaging a California tiger salamander habitat and forging documents to conceal their actions, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Tong was also sentenced to four months of house arrest and 100 hours of community service.
- Both Tong and his company pleaded guilty in January to polluting a salamander habitat pond with sediment resulting from grading work at a Dublin, CA, development, which prosecutors said violated the Endangered Species Act. Authorities also alleged that the company falsely stated it had purchased conservation credits to make up for contaminating the pond.
- According to federal authorities, the California tiger salamander has been considered a threatened species since 2004 and has lost 75% of its habitat and 58% of breeding locations.
Dive Insight:
The $1 million fine will be divided among local county wildlife and fish commissions, as well as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, according to the Chronicle. The land component of the sentence requires the 107 acres, currently valued at $3 million, to be part of a "conservation easement," that will survive future changes in ownership.
According to the Chronicle, Tong is a self-made, successful area developer, and, in a letter to the court, apologized for his and his company’s actions, expressing hope that he could recover the community's trust.
This case is not the only recent example of the construction industry clashing with environmental concerns. In October, Lumber liquidators pleaded guilty to violations of the Lacey Act, which, although originally enacted to prevent the trafficking of illegal wildlife, was amended to include items like timber. As part of its plea, Lumber Liquidators was also required to pay $10 million, which will be split up between various parties including National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund.