[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]


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 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