LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada officials are refuting allegations of political interference after more than $400,000 in fines over safety violations were dropped against The Boring Company.
Last week, a Nov. 12 report by Fortune gave rise to claims that the governor's office got involved with citations issued to Elon Musk's tunneling venture after several workers sustained chemical burns last February.
The report further claims public records "disappeared" shortly after a meeting between representatives from both the company and the governor's office. On Wednesday, state officials rejected those allegations.
A news release from the the Nevada Department of Business and Industry (B&I) says the governor's office called the department on May 28, 2025, after they were contacted by The Boring Company "to express their concern with a notice of citation and penalty issued by Nevada OSHA."
The next morning on May 29, 2025, state officials from B&I, the Nevada Division of Industrial Relations (DIR) and Nevada OSHA, met for a legal review of the citations where they were determined to be "legally insufficient" for lacking certain requirements.
A decision was made by Nevada OSHA to withdraw their citations pending further review.
According to the release, later that afternoon, state officials met with representatives of The Boring Company — which also included a member of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority — but due to the citations being dropped beforehand, there was no informal conference.
During the meeting, Boring Company representatives provided state officials information related to the citations and specifics of the two injured Clark County firefighters central to the Fortune report. The release states Nevada OSHA reviewed the company's documents further and "determined that the citations were unwarranted and should not be reissued."
The Boring Company was also told citations would not be reissued at a closing conference held on June 6, 2025.
The release states the allegations made against the state and company are a "growing and misguided attempt to paint this as a process tainted by political interference as opposed to what it was, a failure of process that DIR leadership took immediate actions to address."
In a statement, B&I Director Dr. Kristopher Sanchez said, "While publicly acknowledging these mistakes is uncomfortable, it’s important for both employers and employees to know that this agency is committed to doing its job in a way that ensures Nevada’s employees have access to a safe, healthy workplace, and businesses have confidence that the agency will regulate them in a fair and impartial manner. As Nevada’s only workplace safety regulator, it’s critical that Nevada OSHA is getting it right 100% of the time.
"At my direction, Nevada OSHA and the Division of Industrial Relations have operated on the principle of maximum transparency related to the production of documents and acknowledgment of the shortcomings identified during this process. Considering this transparency, it’s unfortunate that the narrative is focused on and driven by political posturing in what is an otherwise non-political process. My only instruction to DIR and Nevada OSHA staff regarding this investigation and moving forward is that companies should get what they earn. My expectation is that every one of our agencies follow the laws and facts of each case, not conjecture and politics.
When I was first appointed, I directed our divisions to conduct an ongoing assessment of the operations to make government more accessible and work for Nevadans. I applaud the Division of Industrial Relations for taking swift action in early June to act quickly to begin a review of their internal policies and procedures, address staff performance issues, and make the needed changes to ensure the integrity of the process moving forward.”