Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a complaint against Wood County business Bates Recycling in Cygnet for “illegal torch cutting” on Friday in the Wood County Common Pleas Court. Torch cutting uses a high-temperature flame to tear apart metals in the scraping process, which can cause emissions and haziness throughout the area.

Yost states that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was receiving complaints about the smoke back in 2023. He wants the OEPA to be permitted to inspect the facility after the Ohio EPA attempted to inspect the business, but owner Christopher Bates denied them access. Yost believes Bates has created a scrap wall to block the public from seeing its operations. 

If the judge passes Yost’s temporary restraining order, all torch cutting would need to come to a halt while the business would pay a $25,000 fine per day because of the violation in the alleged complaint.