Mall developer fined for endangering wetland

From the Staten Island Advance:

The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently entered into a consent order with developer Joseph Noce of Richmond Valley Plaza LLC and Martin Taylor of P&M Plumbing and Heating. Under the terms of the order, both men agreed to pay the fine for illegally clearing land last summer at the corner of Richmond Valley Road and Page Avenue in Richmond Valley, an area abutting a freshwater wetland and where the shopping plaza is planned.

The DEC said the builder's plumber left soil and debris next to the wetland as he cleared land to install sewer pipes. DEC also said workers failed to protect the sensitive area as they excavated the land for stores and the bank.

A DEC spokeswoman said today that the $33,750 fine had been paid but a permit for work to proceed there is still pending. Noce faced a maximum penalty of $61,500.

Why didn't they get the max? Don't we take environmental threats seriously?