Former Hotel Owner Fined $21K by EPA Over Asbestos

The owner of a former central Idaho hotel must pay a $21,000 fine for asbestos safety violations after failing to test for the cancer-causing material before demolishing the century-old structure.

The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday BBA Winchester LLC, owned by Brian Bagley, settled with the federal regulator after it found problems with how he knocked down the hotel in Winchester.

The EPA entered the case after Bagley demolished the structure starting in late 2011 or early 2012.

After determining the debris was contaminated, the EPA worked with Bagley to make sure the waste was properly removed by a certified contractor.

However, the agency says what had been a $2,000 demolition contract ballooned into a $55,000 asbestos waste cleanup and disposal project, all because Bagley didn’t follow proper procedures.