[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 119 (Thursday, June 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33359-33360]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13449]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Oil 
Pollution Act

    On June 17, 2021, the Department of Justice lodged a proposed 
Consent Decree with the United States District Court for the Western 
District of Louisiana in the lawsuit entitled United States of America 
and Louisiana v. CITGO Petroleum Corp., Civil Action No. 2:21-cv-1705. 
The United States is

[[Page 33360]]

acting at the request of the designated federal trustees: National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (``NOAA'') and the United States 
Department of the Interior (``DOI'') through the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service. The State of Louisiana is acting through its 
designated State trustees: The Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's 
Office, Department of Public Safety & Corrections (``LOSCO''), 
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (``LDNR''), Louisiana 
Department of Environmental Quality (``LDEQ''), Louisiana Department of 
Wildlife and Fisheries (``LDWF''), and the Coastal Protection and 
Restoration Authority (``CPRA'').
    This is a civil action brought against Defendant CITGO Petroleum 
Corp. for recovery of damages for injury to, destruction of, loss of, 
or loss of use of natural resources, under Section 1002 of the Oil 
Pollution Act (``OPA''), 33 U.S.C. 2702, and Section 2480 of the 
Louisiana Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act (``OSPRA''), La. Rev. 
Stat. 30:2480. The United States and Louisiana seek damages in order to 
compensate for and restore natural resources injured by CITGO's oil 
discharge that occurred at CITGO refinery in Lake Charles, Louisiana, 
beginning on or about June 18, 2006. The United States and the State 
also seek to recover unreimbursed costs of assessing such injuries.
    The Complaint in this natural resource damages case was filed 
against CITGO concurrently with the lodging of the proposed Consent 
Decree. The Complaint alleges that CITGO is liable for damages under 
OPA and OSPRA. The Complaint alleges that CITGO discharged oil into the 
Indian Marais waterway, the Calcasieu River, and the Calcasieu Estuary 
in June 2006 and that natural resources were injured as a result of the 
discharge.
    Under the proposed Consent Decree, CITGO will pay a total of 
$19,688,149.83. Of this total, CITGO will pay $19.16 million to the 
trustees to restore, replace, or acquire the equivalent of the natural 
resources allegedly injured, destroyed, or lost as a result of the oil 
spill and $528,149.83 to reimburse the trustees for all remaining 
unpaid assessment costs.
    The publication of this notice opens a period for public comment on 
the proposed Consent Decree. Comments should be addressed to the Acting 
Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, 
and should refer to United States of America and Louisiana v. CITGO 
Petroleum Corp., D.J. Ref. No. 90-5-1-1-09112/1. All comments must be 
submitted no later than thirty (30) days after the publication date of 
this notice. Comments may be submitted by either email or by mail:

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         To submit comments:                     Send them to:
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By email............................  [email protected].
By mail.............................  Acting Assistant Attorney General,
                                       U.S. DOJ--ENRD, P.O. Box 7611,
                                       Washington, DC 20044-7611.
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    During the public comment period, the proposed Consent Decree may 
be examined and downloaded at this Justice Department website: https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees. We will provide a paper copy of 
the proposed Consent Decree upon written request and payment of 
reproduction costs. Please mail your request and payment to: Consent 
Decree Library, U.S. DOJ--ENRD, P.O. Box 7611, Washington, DC 20044-
7611.
    Please enclose a check or money order for $7.75 (25 cents per page 
reproduction cost) payable to the United States Treasury.

Thomas Carroll,
Assistant Section Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment 
and Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 2021-13449 Filed 6-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-15-P