Former Business Owner Forced To Pay Thousands

What remains of a closed business continues to haunt its owner after more than 20 years.  

"As soon as I went out of business they kept sending me letters and I kept paying fines," said Joe Macias.

Macias owned one of the only gas stations in the small town of Sagerton.

He eventually had to close it because he couldn't afford the taxes.

But he's had to continue paying for it ever since.

"I paid $150 like every, I don't remember if it was every quarterly or every six months, but I paid," he said.

 Macias is having to pay for two underground fuel tanks that officials at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCQ) want him to remove. 

The bills began in 2007 and then suddenly stopped a few years later.

"And then all of a sudden they come back, and when they came back, they came back hard," said the truck driver.

That's because representatives from the TCQ passed his case on to another agency. 

"We finally in 2010 referred him to the state Attorney General's office to enforce it," said Terry Clawson, a representative from the TCQ.

Representatives from the state agency say he had the opportunity to ask for a payment plan to help with the costs.

"It's our understanding that this gentleman did not avail himself to that plan," said Clawson.

"Every time I'd call and talk to someone it was always somebody different, finally they said there's no more, there's no more financial aid, we can't help you," said Macias.

According to documents, now he's got until Oct. 15, or face a potential lawsuit.

"I don't have that kind of money if I did I wouldn't be working," said Macias, "I'm working now to make ends meet."

What started out as a dream business has turned into an escalating nightmare.

Macias says he never removed the tanks from the beginning because he just hasn't been able to afford it.

He says he's called the state attorney generals office, but they say there's nothing they can do.