[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 8, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52574-52575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26656]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree Pursuant to the Clean Water 
Act

    In accordance with the policy of the Department of Justice, 28 CFR 
50.7, notice is hereby given that a proposed consent decree in United 
States v. Stone Container Corp., Civ. No. CIV-97-1971-PHX-EHC, was 
lodged with the United States District Court for the District of 
Arizona, on September 23, 1997. That action was brought against 
defendant pursuant to the Clean Water Act (``the

[[Page 52575]]

Act'') for penalties and injunctive relief as a result of unauthorized 
discharges from Stone Container Corp's (Stone) pulp and paper mill, 
located in Snowflake, AZ, into Dry Lake and Twin Lakes, two playa lakes 
on its property. The proposed consent decree requires Stone, inter 
alia, to cease all discharge to Dry Lake by January 1, 1997, which it 
did, to remediate Dry Lake allowing it to return to its natural state, 
and to pay a civil penalty of $375,000. In addition, Stone will use its 
mill effluent to fertilize and irrigate a ``biomass plantation'' it has 
created on its property to grow trees and other crops. Stone must 
operate this biomass plantation in accordance with best management 
practices set forth in the decree, which among other things, allow the 
discharge of mill effluent into Twin Lakes under certain limited 
conditions.
    The Department of Justice will receive comments relating to the 
proposed consent decree for a period of 30 days from the date of this 
publication. Comments should be addressed to the Assistant Attorney 
General of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, Department 
of Justice, Washington, D.C. 20530. All comments should refer to United 
States v. Stone Container Corp., D.J. Ref. 90-5-1-1-3208.
    The proposed consent decree may be examined at the office of the 
United States Attorney for the District of Arizona, 4000 United States 
Courthouse, 230 N. First Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85025, at the Region IX 
office of the Environmental Protection Agency, 75 Hawthorne Street, San 
Francisco, California 94105, and at the Consent Decree Library, 1120 G 
Street, N.W., 4th floor, Washington, D.C. 20005, 202-624-0892. A copy 
of the proposed consent decree may be obtained in person or by mail 
from the Consent Decree Library. In requesting a copy, please enclose a 
check in the amount of $14.75 for the decree (25 cents per page 
reproduction costs) payable to the Consent Decree Library. When 
requesting a copy, please refer to United States v. Stone Container 
Corp., D.J. Ref. 90-5-1-1-3208.
Walker Smith,
Deputy Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment and 
Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 97-26656 Filed 10-7-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-15-M