NEW: Virginia Attorney General sues City of Bristol for violations of environmental law due to landfill

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares filed a civil suit Friday against the City of Bristol for violations related to the landfill and its ongoing odor problems.

The Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Waste Management Board, and the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board are parties to the suit along with the state seeking sanctions and other relief due to the smelly controversy that was first examined by state authorities in December 2020.

In the suit, Miyares asks for a civil penalty of $32,000 per day to be imposed for those violations until those specific areas of concern are corrected.

A full copy of the lawsuit is available for review by clicking here.

The pressure from the state is now the second major piece of litigation facing Bristol Virginia officials. A suit is already pending in federal court that was brought by neighboring Bristol, Tennessee for similar air quality violations that have impacted their communities.

Here is the complete statement issued by Miyares’ office Friday afternoon:

“Attorney General Jason Miyares today filed a lawsuit on behalf of his clients, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Waste Management Board, and the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board against the City of Bristol, Virginia, seeking injunctive relief and civil penalties for violating the Commonwealth’s environmental laws and regulations at the Bristol Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility. The civil action was filed this afternoon in the Circuit Court for the City of Richmond.

This is now ongoing litigation, and the Office of the Attorney General has no further comment.”