[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 17 (Thursday, January 25, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4993-4994]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01453]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Clean 
Water Act

    On January 17, 2024, the Department of Justice lodged a proposed 
Consent Decree with the United States District Court for the Northern 
District of California in the lawsuit entitled United

[[Page 4994]]

States, the State of Illinois, and Alabama Department of Environmental 
Management v. Swinerton Builders, Civil Action No. 3:24-cv-00274.
    In their complaint, the United States and the States of Illinois 
and Alabama allege that Swinerton Builders (Swinerton) violated the 
Clean Water Act during construction of solar energy facilities in 
Alabama, Idaho, and Illinois. The United States and the States allege 
that Swinerton discharged sediment in stormwater from the Alabama and 
Idaho sites to nearby waters without authorization from a discharge 
permit, and violated the conditions and limitations in Swinerton's 
discharge permits at the Alabama and Illinois sites. The proposed 
Consent Decree requires Swinerton to implement significant mitigation 
actions to offset the environmental harms of its discharges in Alabama 
and Idaho. The Consent Decree also requires Swinerton to pay a civil 
penalty of $2,300,000 to the plaintiffs, with $1,614,600 to the United 
States, $144,900 to the State of Illinois, and $540,500 to Alabama.
    The publication of this notice opens a period for public comment on 
the Consent Decree. Comments should be addressed to the Assistant 
Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and 
should refer to United States, the State of Illinois, and Alabama 
Department of Environmental Management v. Swinerton Builders, D.J. Ref. 
No. 90-5-1-1-12642. All comments must be submitted no later than thirty 
(30) days after the publication date of this notice. Comments may be 
submitted either by email or by mail:

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         To submit comments:                     Send them to:
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By email............................  [email protected].
By mail.............................  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 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 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 $11.50 (25 cents per page 
reproduction cost) payable to the United States Treasury. For a paper 
copy exclusive of exhibits and signature pages, the cost is $7.25.

Kathryn C. Macdonald,
Assistant Section Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment 
and Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 2024-01453 Filed 1-24-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-15-P