Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree Pursuant to the Oil Pollution Act

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree Pursuant to the Oil Pollution

Act

In accordance with Departmental policy, 28 CFR 50.7, notice is

hereby given that a proposed consent decree in United States and State

of California v. ARCO Pipe Line Company, CV 97-0361 JMI (C.D. Cal.),

was lodged on January 17, 1997 with the United States District Court

for the Central District of California. In the complaint in that

action, the United States and State of California seek natural resource

damages, reimbursement of response costs and damage assessment costs,

and civil penalties from defendant ARCO Pipe Line Company (``APL''),

relating to ruptures of an APL pipeline near Los Angeles in January

1994, that resulted in oil being discharged to the Santa Clara River,

among other locations.

Pursuant to the Consent Decree, APL will pay to the federal and

state natural resource trustees $7.1 million for natural resource

damages, to be used for restoration of natural resources damaged from

the oil spills; $1.3 million in payments to California for use in

various state environmental projects and accounts in settlement of

penalty claims; reimbursement of the United States' and California's

response and damage assessment costs; a $25,000 civil penalty pursuant

to the Endangered Species Act; and payments totaling $500,000 to the

Los Angeles District Attorney's office and other environmental entities

in settlement of the District Attorney's claim for penalties.

The Department of Justice will receive, for a period of thirty (30)

days from the date of this publication, comments relating to the

proposed consent decree. Comments should be addressed to the Assistant

Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division,

U.S. Department of Justice, P.O. Box 7611, Washington, DC 20044; and

refer to United States v. ARCO Pipe Line Company, DOJ Ref. #90-5-1-1-

4347.

The proposed consent decree may be examined at the office of the

United States Attorney, Central District of California, 300 N. Los

Angeles Street, Los Angeles, California 90012; and at the Consent

Decree Library, 1120 G Street NW., 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20005,

(202) 624-0892. A copy of the proposed consent decree may be obtained

in person or by mail from the Consent Decree Library, 1120 G Street

NW., 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20005. In requesting a copy please refer

to the referenced case and enclose a check in the amount of $6.75 (25

cents per page reproduction costs), payable to the Consent Decree

Library.

Joel Gross,

Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment and Natural

Resources Division.

[FR Doc. 97-2664 Filed 2-3-97; 8:45 am]

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