Nevada lawmakers question Vegas Loop safety: 17 OSHA complaints, dropped fines and wastewater penalties

The Vegas Loop, The Boring Company's network of tunnels in which Tesla cars carry passengers, came under scrutiny in the Nevada legislature this week. Lawmakers questioned state safety officials about workplace injuries, withdrawn fines and wastewater violations linked to the project. The company did not attend the hearing but sent written answers defending its record.

What happened

According to the Associated Press, lawmakers spent a hearing on Tuesday questioning officials from Nevada's workplace safety agency and environmental regulators. The questions covered complaints filed since construction began, a series of injuries and the state's decision to drop a large set of fines.

The key facts

• Complaints: 17 complaints were filed with Nevada OSHA about the company between 2020 and 2026. Several are still open.
• Burns: one inspection led to eight proposed citations, alleging that 15 to 20 workers were burned by accelerants and that no showers were available to them afterwards.
• Crush injury: in September 2025 a worker was pinned between two pipes inside a tunnel and had to be freed by firefighters using a crane. The company said at the time that it was investigating and that the employee was stable.
• Withdrawn fines: the state withdrew more than $425,000 in proposed fines linked to an incident in which two Clark County firefighters suffered chemical burns during a training drill in the tunnels.
• Wastewater: the company has paid nearly $600,000 in fines, most of it to the local water reclamation district for discharging untreated wastewater.
• Disputed fines: it is contesting about $355,000 in further fines with Nevada OSHA and the state's environmental protection division.

ProPublica reported last year that the Las Vegas project had faced nearly 800 environmental violations.

Both sides

The state's legal counsel had said the OSHA reports on the firefighter incident contained mistakes and anomalies that would have made the fines hard to defend. Inspection reports also noted that the firefighters had not worn a second layer of protective clothing, and that the company had held six safety meetings with the fire department beforehand. When the fines were dropped in late 2025, retired firefighter and battalion chief Mike Pilcher said he was "deeply alarmed" by the decision.

The Boring Company's written answers pointed to daily inspections and safety training. The company did not respond to the AP's requests for comment.

The hearing also had a political dimension. Democratic Assemblymember Howard Watts said he may propose legislation next year to speed up how violations are assessed and shorten the time companies have to contest them. Democrats criticised Republican Governor Joe Lombardo's administration for its handling of the company, while the director of the state's Department of Business and Industry denied that outside pressure had influenced the withdrawal of fines. Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley, meanwhile, praised the project in January when the city issued a permit for a new tunnel.

Context

The Vegas Loop opened in 2021. Rides around the convention center are free, while trips to some hotels, casinos and the airport cost between $4 and $12. The company is approved to build 68 miles of tunnels and 104 stations over the coming years, and it has started construction in Nashville on an initial 13-mile stretch between the airport and downtown.

The Tesla link

Every vehicle in the Loop is a Tesla, and The Boring Company was founded by Elon Musk, Tesla's chief executive. The companies are legally separate: the safety and environmental cases concern The Boring Company's construction work, not Tesla's cars. But the Loop is often presented as a showcase for Tesla vehicles and, in future, for Tesla's self-driving software. How regulators and lawmakers treat the tunnel builder therefore shapes how quickly that showcase can grow, in Las Vegas and in other cities weighing similar projects.

What to watch next

• The outcome of the open OSHA inspections and the contested fines.
• Whether a bill to change how violations are handled is introduced.
• Whether the scrutiny slows permits for the planned expansion in Las Vegas.