[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 8, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 62815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-25517]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree Under the Comprehensive 
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

    Notice is hereby given that on September 16, 2002, a proposed 
consent decree in United States v. Buena Vista Mines, Inc., et al., 
Civil Action No. 98-7226 SVW (RNBx), was lodged with the United States 
District Court for the Central District of California.
    In this action, brought under Sections 106 and 107 of the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, 
42 U.S.C. Sec. Sec.  9606, 9607, the United States sought reimbursement 
of response costs incurred by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
(``EPA'') at the Buena Vista/Klau Mine Site near Paso Robles 
California, as well as civil penalties and treble damages arising from 
the failure of defendants Buena Vista Mines, Inc. (``BVMI''), Harold J. 
Biaggini, and Edward C. Biaggini, III to comply with an EPA 
administrative clean-up order. The consent decree provides for payments 
of $500,000 from the defendants and $100,000 from third-party defendant 
County of San Luis Obispo and in addition, provides that the United 
States will receive the major portion of all proceeds of any future 
BVMI land sales. In exchange for the settlement payments, the settling 
parties will receive a site-wide covenant-not-to-sue, subject to 
certain reservations.
    The Department of Justice will receive for a period of thirty (30) 
days from the date of this publication comments relating to the consent 
decree. Comments should be addressed to the Assistant Attorney General, 
Environment and Natural Resources Division, P.O. Box 7611, U.S. 
Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20044-7611, and should refer to 
United States v. Buena Vista Mines, Inc., et al., D.J. Ref. No. 90-5-1-
1-4467/1.
    The consent decree may be examined at the offices of U.S. EPA 
Region 9, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 94105. A copy 
of the consent 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 a request to Tonia Fleetwood, fax. no. 
(202) 514-0097, phone confirmation number (202) 514-1547. In requesting 
a copy, please enclose a check in the amount of $10.75 (25 cents per 
page reproduction cost) payable to the U.S. Treasury.

Ellen Mahan,
Assistant Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment and 
Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 02-25517 Filed 10-7-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-11-M