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This is a bit awkward: The D.C. government is suing one of its biggest, most influential contractors. 

Loose Lips hears that Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit against Fort Myer Construction last week, alleging that the company has been illegally dumping wastewater, petroleum, and other pollutants into the city’s stormwater system for years. The suit claims that the paving giant has repeatedly ignored orders from D.C. regulators to fix these problems at its Ward 5 headquarters, befouling Springhouse Run, which flows through the National Arboretum and into the Anacostia River.

Fort Myer has attracted complaints about air pollution at its asphalt facilities in Brentwood and Eckington for years, but Schwalb’s lawsuit deals instead with the company’s vehicle storage yard just off of South Dakota Avenue NE. He claims that inspectors with the Department of Energy and the Environment observed the company illegally dumping pollutants down storm drains at least 20 times between 2015 and 2023, yet Fort Myer repeatedly refused their efforts to address these issues.

“For years, Fort Myer Construction threatened District residents’ health and safety by polluting our waterways in blatant violation of environmental laws,” Schwalb writes in a statement to LL. “The company ignored repeated orders from D.C. agencies to clean up its facility and obtain proper permits, choosing instead to put its profits over the protection of D.C.’s critical natural resources. My office will continue working to ensure that all businesses play by the rules, and that all Washingtonians have access to clean water.”

Schwalb’s suit is asking for an unidentified amount of civil penalties against the company, which was filed in D.C. Superior Court on Oct. 10. Fort Myer Construction did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. 

The case represents not only some of the District’s most substantial environmental action against the company, but also a major clash with one of its most favored contractors. Whether it’s simple road paving or major construction projects, Fort Myer has demonstrated a unique knack for winning business in the city over the past few decades. Twenty years ago, as the company dealt with accusations that it bribed D.C. officials, it said that D.C. government contracts represented roughly half of all its operating income.

For more about what the well-connected company is accused of doing, and what kind of penalties it could face, check out our full story online.

—Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Andrew Ciolli, a former warden in two Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities where D.C. residents are incarcerated, oversaw a culture of abuse and mistreatment at those facilities. Despite troubling findings from BOP’s own investigators, the agency promoted Ciolli to run its national training program. [Marshall Project]
• The Washington Post’s embattled new publisher, Will Lewis, is under direction from owner Jeff Bezos to expand the business via acquisitions that could drive revenue and subscriptions. The paper’s chief growth officer, Karl Wells, told the newsroom this week that through September, the Post has added 4,000 subscribers and is cracking down on the 160,000 free subscriptions to federal offices and employees. [NYT, WBJ]
• Paying for panda privilege: Members of the National Zoo can get a sneak peek of the new pandas that arrived this week from China. Bao Li and Qing Bao will make their public debuts Jan. 24. Members can reserve a timed entry pass to see the pandas from Jan. 10 to 19; annual memberships range from $72 to $122. [Axios]

By City Paper Staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Mayor Muriel Bowser is in Mexico City this week for a conference put on by her longtime pal (and 2020 presidential endorsee) Mike Bloomberg. Bloomberg Philanthropies covered the cost of the trip, per Bowser’s office, except for “one staff flight” that’s on the city’s tab. [Axios]
• A task force made up of several city agencies is trying to take a more holistic approach to public safety, offering Narcan and removing abandoned furniture, one neighborhood at a time. [WTOP]
• The Washington Informer is celebrating its 60th anniversary with memories of its founder, activist Calvin Rolark. [Informer]

By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Chef Paolo Dungca, who cut his teeth at Bad Saint, is opening new eateries left and right. Kayu, which sits above Dungca’s Filipino cafe on H Street NE, Hiraya, just opened. Next month he’ll introduce Union Market goers to a new food stall: Little Hiraya. [Axios] 
• Charlottesville’s Three Notch’d Brewing is opening its first D.C.-area restaurant at the Crossing Clarendon. [WBJ]

By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)