The United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a June 27th news release stating that Boyd Farm LLC (“Boyd Farm”) and its owner Frazier T. Boyd III were sentenced on June 26th criminally for an alleged felony violation of the Clean Water Act.
Boyd Farm and its owner are stated to have illegally filled wetlands in Goochland and Louisa Counties, Virginia.
The DOJ press release states in part:
…at various times between 2017 and 2019, Boyd and his company had workers use excavators and other earthmoving equipment to pull vegetation, grub stumps, and grade land at three sites in Virginia’s Piedmont region. The work left behind piles of dirt, slash, and stumps. Operators hired by the Boyd Firm then placed debris from those piles into wetlands and streams at the property.
Boyd Farm and its owner are stated to have known of the requirement to obtain Clean Water Act permits but did not seek or obtain them.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is stated to have issued Boyd Farm an Administrative Order in 2015 requiring:
- Compliance with the Clean Water Act.
- Restoration of impacted wetlands and streams at another property in Goochland County.
Boyd Farm was sentenced to pay a fine of $300,000.00 and serve a year of probation. The owner was sentenced to 30 days home confinement and a year of probation.
A copy of the DOJ news release can be downloaded here.
The Between the Lines blog is made available by Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. and the law firm publisher. The blog site is for educational purposes only, as well as to give general information and a general understanding of the law. This blog is not intended to provide specific legal advice. Use of this blog site does not create an attorney client relationship between you and Mitchell Williams or the blog site publisher. The Between the Lines blog site should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.