[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 192 (Monday, October 5, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60180-60181]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24936]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Clean
Water Act and Oil Pollution Act
Notice is hereby given that on October 5, 2015, a proposed Consent
Decree (``Decree'') will be lodged in U.S. v. BP Exploration and
Production, et al, Civil No. 10-4536 (E.D. La.) (centralized in MDL
2179: In Re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig ``Deepwater Horizon'' in the Gulf
of Mexico, on April 20, 2010).
In this civil enforcement action the United States sought, among
other things, civil penalties under Section 311(b) of the Clean Water
Act, 33 U.S.C. 1321(b), and a declaration of liability for natural
resource damages under the Oil Pollution Act, 33 U.S.C. 2702, against
BP Exploration and Production Company, Inc. (``BP''). The claims arise
against BP (and other defendants as well) from the discharge of oil
into the Gulf of Mexico resulting from the blowout of the Macondo Well
that began in April 2010.
Under the proposed Decree, BP, among other things, will pay (1) a
$5.5 billion civil penalty under the Clean Water Act; (2) $8.1 billion
for natural resource damages under the Oil Pollution Act (including the
$1 billion that BP had previously pledged under a prior agreement),
plus up to $700
[[Page 60181]]
million additional for unknown conditions and adaptive management; (3)
$350 million for State and federal natural resource damages assessment
costs; and (4) $250 million for other federal costs, including removal
costs under the Oil Pollution Act, royalties, and a False Claims Act
penalty.
The Department of Justice will receive comments relating to the
proposed Decree, for a period of sixty (60) calendar days from the date
of this publication.
Comments to the Department of Justice related to the Consent Decree
should be addressed to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and
Natural Resources Division, and can be submitted via the web at http://www.justice.gov/enrd/deepwater-horizon or mailed to P.O. Box 7611, U.S.
Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20044-7611, and should refer to
U.S. v. BP Exploration and Production et al, Civil No. 10-4536 (E.D.
La.) (centralized in MDL 2179: In Re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig
``Deepwater Horizon'' in the Gulf of Mexico, April 20, 2012), D.J. Ref.
90-5-1-1-10026.
During the public comment period, the proposed Decree may be
examined on the following Department of Justice Web site: http://www.justice.gov/enrd/deepwater-horizon. A copy of the proposed Decree
may also be obtained by mail from the Consent Decree Library, P.O. Box
7611, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20044-7611, or by
faxing or emailing a request to ``Consent Decree Copy''
([email protected]), fax no. (202) 514-0097, phone confirmation
number (202) 514-5271. If requesting a copy from the Consent Decree
Library by mail, please enclose a check in the amount of $90.00 (25
cents per page reproduction cost) payable to the U.S. Treasury or, if
requesting by fax, forward a check in that amount to the Consent Decree
Library at the address given above.
In accordance with section 7003(d) of RCRA, the Department has
scheduled a series of public meetings to receive information on the
Consent Decree in addition to the comment process described above. Both
written and oral public comments will be taken at each public meeting.
The Department will hold an open house for each meeting followed by a
formal meeting. Each public meeting will include a presentation of the
proposed Consent Decree. The public meeting schedule is as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time (local
Date times) Location
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mon., Oct. 19, 2015........... 5 p.m. Open House Courtyard by
6 p.m. Public Marriott--Houma, 142
Meeting. Liberty Boulevard,
Houma, LA 70360.
Tues., Oct. 20, 2015.......... 5 p.m. Open House University of
6 p.m. Public Southern
Meeting. Mississippi, Long
Beach, FEC
Auditorium, 730 East
Beach Boulevard,
Long Beach, MS
39560.
Thurs., Oct. 22, 2015......... 5 p.m. Open House Hilton Garden Inn,
6 p.m. Public New Orleans
Meeting. Convention Center,
Garden Ballroom,
10001 South Peters
Street, New Orleans,
LA 70130.
Mon., Oct. 26, 2015........... 6 p.m. Open House The Battle House
7 p.m. Public Renaissance Mobile
Meeting. Hotel & Spa, 26
North Royal Street,
Mobile, AL 36602.
Tues., Oct. 27, 2015.......... 6 p.m. Open House Pensacola Bay Center,
7 p.m. Public 201 E Gregory Street
Meeting. Pensacola, FL,
32502.
Thurs., Oct. 29, 2015......... 6 p.m. Open House Hilton St. Petersburg
7 p.m. Public Bayfront, 333 1st
Meeting. Street South, St.
Petersburg, FL
33701.
Tues., Nov. 10, 2015.......... 6 p.m. Open House Hilton Galveston
7 p.m. Public Island Resort,
Meeting. Crystal Ballroom,
5400 Seawall
Boulevard Galveston,
TX 77551.
Wed., Nov. 18, 2015........... 6 p.m. Open House DoubleTree by Hilton
7 p.m. Public Hotel Washington DC,
Meeting. 1515 Rhode Island
Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC
20005.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, please note that simultaneously, the Federal and State
Trustee agencies are holding a public comment period on a proposed
``Deepwater Horizon Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration
Plan/Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (``PDARP/PEIS'').''
The PDARP/PEIS is related to the Consent Decree but is a separate
document, subject to a separate comment process. For information on
those Trustees and that process, please visit http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov. Also, the public meetings set out
above will be conducted at the same times and places as public meetings
related to the PDARP/PEIS.
Maureen M. Katz,
Assistant Chief, Environmental, Enforcement Section, Environment and
Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 2015-24936 Filed 10-2-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-15-P