Milwaukee company to pay fine in Iowa asbestos case

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Milwaukee real estate company will pay $75,000 to Iowa for violating several asbestos regulations at one of its former buildings in Newton, the Iowa Attorney General’s office announced Monday.

Phoenix Investors, LLC, agreed to a consent order Friday. The attorney general sued the company on behalf of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The state also sued JB2 Services, a Milwaukee-based contractor hired by Phoenix to remove the asbestos in the building. That lawsuit remains active.

The state alleged that Phoenix and JB2 violated several regulations, including not thoroughly inspecting for asbestos before renovating the building and not using proper equipment to remove and dispose of the asbestos.

The building was used to power the former Maytag appliance factory in Newton.

JB2, which worked on the site until November 2018, faces a civil penalty of up to $10,000 a day for each alleged violation.