It seems Elon Musk is taking the axiom of “ask for forgiveness, not permission” way too far. Musk’s The Boring Company is in hot water after being fined nearly half a million dollars by Nevada authorities.
What’s happening?
KNTV Las Vegas reported that the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) fined The Boring Company $493,297.08 for illegally draining over 2,400 gallons of drilling fluids and bore mud into the Clark County Water Reclamation District’s system.
The company is currently working on a controversial underground Vegas Loop project. The wheels got turning after an anonymous tip in August claimed The Boring Company had been discharging untreated water to the District’s facility since April.
Within days, inspectors caught staff in the act and demanded they stop after observing “an active illicit discharge of what appeared to be drilling fluids/spoils.” When they met initial reticence to comply, they elevated the matter to a cease-and-desist while commissioning an investigation…