Brandenburg investigates Tesla over illegal dumping allegations

Following a criminal complaint filed by the Brandenburg State Office for the Environment (LfU), the Potsdam public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation against Tesla on suspicion of unauthorized operation of a hazardous materials storage facility at the Grünheide site.

According to a report by the local publication RBB, the proceedings will examine whether the U.S. electric carmaker violated laws by “operating a temporary hazardous materials storage facility on its plant premises in Grünheide” – in particular, whether the facility in question had been sufficiently authorized. If Tesla had indeed operated the facility without a permit, this could be punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine, according to the public prosecutor’s office, “RBB” reported.

More specific details about the possibly illegally operated plant and what materials or hazardous substances were stored there are not given in the report.

According to RBB, Tesla applied for a permit for a recycling plant on the factory premises only a few days ago at the LfU after the fact. This, too, had initially been operated without the corresponding permit, whereupon the LfU had ordered the shutdown and removal of the plant at the end of September.

rbb24.de (in German)