Trying to be environmentally responsible has led to a financial battle for a group of veterans in Queens. NY1's Dean Meminger filed the following report.

Going green for a group of veterans now has them seeing red.

Two years ago, the Queensboro Hill Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3427 had a new hot water tank installed. Members were trying to reduce the gas bill.  

"We had a plumber that donated their services to us who had done an event here who said, 'Hey guys, don't worry, just pay for the hot water heater and I'll take care of the rest,'" said Jerry Ojeda, an Iraq War veteran. "And we were so grateful for that."

Two years later, the city has hit the VFW post with several violations and nearly $10,000 in fines. The plumber turned the gas line off and on without letting Con Ed know and didn't get a permit.

"We also had another plumber come in and look at the work after we got the violations, and the plumber said, 'This is a quick fix. Yes, it was not put to code,' he said, 'but it is not going to be a big thing,'" said James Moglia, a Vietnam War veteran.

The city, though, says they cannot get a permit to do the fix until they pay $5,000 in fines.  

"We are not a business. We don't have that money. We don't have that kind of money," said Raymond Ramos, an Iraq War veteran. "We don't generate those kinds of funds here."

The Buildings department said it understands the penalties can be costly, but they are set by law and the agency has no discretion to waive them, adding, "They have been established...to discourage individuals from engaging in unsafe and unapproved construction that could endanger the lives of building occupants and the public.”

The vets, though, say they were never told the work was unsafe, and inspectors didn't shut off their gas service.

"Yes, we did make a mistake, but we jumped on it right away to correct the problem," Ramos said. "At no time did we think that we were doing a problem or creating a problem or defrauding anyone."

The veterans say as they try to work this situation out, they're just hoping this battle doesn't end with their hall being shut down. They are reaching out to elected officials for some help. We will keep you posted.