AT&T Inc will pay $23.8 million in civil penalties under a settlement with the California state over allegations of illegally dumping hazardous waste. The settlement is pending an approval by the Alameda County Superior Court and marks the first enforcement action in California versus a telecommunications company over improperly handled and disposed hazardous waste. General Kamala Harris, a California Attorney, said that the Dallas-based company has agreed to spend an additional $28 million over the next five years to establish the new environmental practices under the settlement and properly dispose the waste, which includes electronic hardware, batteries, different gels and other potentially dangerous materials. The authorities alleged more than 235 AT&T warehouses and dispatch centers across the country had illegally disposed hazardous wastes and other materials over a nine-year period.