The Boring Company’s Vegas Loop is expanding. The underground network of tunnels meant to ferry passengers around the Strip was recently granted its first permit to begin construction of a new tunnel connecting the Vegas Loop from the Las Vegas Convention Center to downtown Las Vegas.
However, the expansion of the Elon Musk-backed venture comes amid fresh scrutiny. This time, it is from Nevada lawmakers who have raised concerns about alleged workplace safety and environmental violations.
Last week, lawmakers spent hours grilling state safety officials over alleged violations by the company. Boring Company officials declined to attend but provided written answers defending the project.
Oona Milliken covered the meeting for The Nevada Independent. She told KNPR's State of Nevada that the company has racked up more than 800 violations since tunnel construction began in 2019.
"The main thing lawmakers wanted to know — apart from the fact that they were wondering where Boring and the governor's office were — was why these violations keep happening," she said.
Lawmakers also want to know about Governor Joe Lombardo's connection to the company after Fortune reported last year that a diary log documenting a meeting between Lombardo, The Boring Co.’s President Steve Davis, and then-Nevada OSHA Chief Administrative Officer William Gardner was quietly deleted.
Milliken said lawmakers had a number of questions on that front. "Why was that meeting held? Why were serious violations dismissed? Why was there a document that was modified to hide the fact that a meeting had been held?"
One of the lawmakers looking for answers is Assemblymember Howard Watts, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Growth and Infrastructure, which held last week's hearing. He said his concerns came to a head after last November's reports that a contaminated pool was drained into the sewers.
"I think the last straw was finding out about a green pond at a Boring Company site that had appeared and was later filled in without any testing or assurances that it wasn't being polluted by the company's operations."
The Boring Company submitted a seven-page letter to answer some of the lawmakers' questions. Watts, however, says company executives will eventually need to address his committee's concerns.
"They should come to our committee, answer these questions, and provide the information we need to feel secure as they continue to dig in Las Vegas," Watts said.
KNPR did reach out to the Boring Company but did not receive a response.
Guests: Oona Milliken, reporter, The Nevada Independent; Assemblymember Howard Watts, Democrat, Las Vegas
