Justice Department Will Not Oppose Public Landfill's Proposal to Enter into a One-Year Contract to Provide Disposal Services (06-859)

The Department of Justice announced today that it would not oppose a proposal by the Southeastern Public Service Authority of Virginia (SPSA) to enter into a contract with a competitive provider of disposal services. (Read more)

Mercedes-Benz Agrees to Pay $1.2 Million Civil Penalty to Settle Clean Air Act Violation (06-854)

Mercedes-Benz USA and its parent corporation, DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes), have agreed to pay $1.2 million in civil penalties to resolve allegations that they violated the Clean Air Act by failing to promptly notify the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about defects in the air pollution controls installed on numerous 1998 to 2006 Mercedes model vehicles, the Justice Department and the EPA announced today. (Read more)

Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. Will Pay Largest-Ever Penalty for Concealing Vessel Pollution (06-849)

Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (OSG) has today agreed to plead guilty to 33 felony counts related to deliberate vessel pollution from nine ships and false pollution log entries in three additional ships, in six U.S. ports around the nation. (Read more)

Utah Gold and Silver Refiner, Top Managers Charged with Conspiracy to Violate Environmental Laws (06-834)

The Justice Department announced today that a superseding indictment was returned by federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, charging the parent company of gold and silver refiner Johnson Matthey Inc. with conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act (CWA). (Read more)

Virginia Man Indicted for Illegally Hunting and Transporting Protected Wildlife (06-836)

William James Victor Garrison, a resident of Culpeper, Va., was today charged by federal grand jury with conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and with making a false statement to a federal investigative agent during the course of an investigation. (Read more)

United States Announces Clean Air Act Settlement with PSEG Fossil LLC for Violations of 2002 Consent Decree (06-801)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice today announced that they have lodged with federal district court in New Jersey, a Clean Air Act (CAA) settlement with PSEG Fossil LLC related to PSEG's failure to comply with a 2002 consent decree requiring installation of pollution controls at its coal-fired power plants in Jersey City and Hamilton, N.J. (Read more)

Two Alabama Men Indicted on Allegations of Violating Environmental Laws (06-765)

A former Alabama boat builder and a charter-boat fisherman were charged late yesterday afternoon with one count of conspiracy and two counts of making false documents and writings in attempting to violate a moratorium on charter vessel permits under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson Act) regulations. (Read more)

Shipping Company Sentenced for Vessel Pollution (06-760)

WASHINGTON - The Sun Ace Shipping Company, based in Seoul, South Korea, was sentenced today to pay a $400,000 penalty, a $100,000 community service payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Program, Delaware Estuary Grants Program, which will be used to protect and restore the natural resources of the Delaware Estuary and its watershed, and to a three-year term of probation during which its vessels will be banned from U.S. ports and waters. (Read more)

$13.9 Million Clean Air Act Settlement with Multinational Soybean and Corn Processor Secures Major Pollution Reductions in Eight States (06-727)

A multi-state Clean Air Act (CAA) settlement, reached today with oilseed processor Bunge North America Inc. and three of its subsidiaries, will eliminate more than 2,200 tons of harmful pollution emissions per year when fully implemented. (Read more)

Florida Charter Boat Captain Sentenced for Shooting at Dolphins (06-691)

Christopher Kevin Weaver, a charter boat captain from Panama City, Fla., was sentenced today to two years of probation and a $1,000 fine for violating the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) by knowingly and unlawfully shooting at one or more dolphins in U.S. waters. (Read more)

City of Indianapolis Agrees to Make $1.86 Billion in Improvements to Sewer System (06-676)

The city of Indianapolis has agreed to make an estimated $1.86 billion worth of improvements to resolve longstanding problems with overflows from its sewer system, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Settlement Between United States, Delaware, Dupont and Ciba Restores Wetlands Habitat in Delaware's Mispillion River Ecosystem (06-664)

The federal government and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control reached an agreement today with chemical companies DuPont and Ciba to resolve claims relating to the release of hazardous substances from the DuPont Newport Superfund Site, which contaminated wetlands in and around the Christina River ecosystem. (Read more)

Government Reaches Settlements with Seaboard Foods and PIC USA (06-625)

Under two related settlements, Seaboard Foods LP and PIC USA Inc., will take significant steps at many of their facilities to ensure future compliance with environmental laws and to resolve allegations that the companies contaminated groundwater and surface waters near several of their facilities, the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Shipping Company Pleads Guilty to Vessel Pollution (06-591)

The Sun Ace Shipping Company, based in Seoul, South Korea, has pleaded guilty to a one-count information for violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, in relation to the operation of a bulk carrier vessel the M/V Sun New, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

Federal Government Reaches Settlement with Pipeline Companies Regarding Crude Oil Spills (06-534)

The federal government today reached a settlement with Mid-Valley Pipeline Company (Mid-Valley) and pipeline operator Sunoco Pipeline L.P. (SPLP), requiring the companies to pay a $2.57 million penalty relating to a January 2005 spill that dumped more than 260,000 gallons of crude oil into the Kentucky and Ohio Rivers. (Read more)

Citgo Petroleum and Environmental Manager Indicted for Environmental Crimes (06-519)

A federal grand jury in Corpus Christi, Texas, returned a 10-count indictment today, charging Citgo Petroleum Corporation, its subsidiary, Citgo Refining and Chemicals Co., and the environmental manager at its Corpus Christi East Plant Refinery with criminal violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), the Justice Department announced. (Read more)

Government Settlements Ensure Cleanup of Contaminated Sites in New Jersey (06-518)

The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that they have reached separate agreements with NCH Corporation (NCH) and FMC Corporation (FMC) to resolve claims against them relating to the costs of cleanup at the Higgins Farm and Higgins Disposal Superfund sites in Somerset County, N.J. (Read more)

Florida Charter Boat Captain Pleads Guilty to Shooting at Dolphins (06-513)

Christopher Kevin Weaver, a charter boat captain from Panama City, Fla. pleaded guilty today to one misdemeanor count of violating the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Justice Department announced. (Read more)

Government Reaches Agreement with Asarco & Point Ruston to Clean Up Contaminated Site in Washington State (06-470)

The federal government reached an agreement today which will help to protect the health and the environment of Tacoma and Ruston-area citizens by expediting the estimated $28 million cleanup of the Asarco Smelter Site in Tacoma and Ruston, Wash. (Read more)

Container Ship Owners and Operators to Pay $3.25 Million in National Marine Sanctuary Settlement (06-460)

The owners and operators of the foreign-flagged container vessel, Mad Taipei, have agreed to pay $3.25 million to the United States to resolve allegations that the 15 containers lost overboard in 2004 resulted in long-term damage to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), the Department of Justice and the Department of Commerce announced today. (Read more)

Commercial Fishing Vessel's Captain and Crewmember Sentenced for Smuggling Red Snapper (06-459)

Hoang Nguyen, captain of the Galveston, Texas-based commercial fishing vessel Thanh Tam, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release for illegally importing red snapper into the United States, the Justice Department announced today. Tam Le, a crewmember of the Thanh Tam, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release for concealing red snapper which was illegally imported into the United States. (Read more)

Shipping Companies and Key Personnel Indicted for Vessel Pollution (06-437)

WASHINGTON - A grand jury in Delaware returned a five-count indictment charging Greece- based shipping companies, Chian Spirit Maritime Enterprises Inc. (Chian Spirit) and Venetico Marine and three individuals, Adrian Dragomere, Kristos Pagones, and Evangelos Madias, with conspiracy to commit environmental crimes and obstructing U.S. Coast Guard investigations related to the operation of the tanker vessel Irene E/M. (Read more)

Former Manager of Inwood Dairy Sentenced for Violating Clean Water Act (06-433)

WASHINGTON - The former manager of the Inwood Dairy, David Inskeep, was sentenced today to 30 days in prison, one year supervised release and a $3,000 fine for a criminal misdemeanor violation of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

U.S. Ship Manager to Plead Guilty to Deliberate Pollution (06-404)

An American-based ship operator, Pacific-Gulf Marine, Inc. (PGM), has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges that it engaged in deliberate acts of pollution involving a fleet of four ships in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, the Justice Department announced today. As part of the plea agreement, PGM will pay a $1 million criminal fine and $500,000 for community service, if approved by the court. (Read more)

Fact Sheet: Indictment of and Landmark Settlement with Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (06-383)

In landmark enforcement actions, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) has agreed to pay $10 million in criminal and civil fines and committed to perform more than $1.7 billion in injunctive relief to resolve repeated environmental violations at wastewater treatment plants and drinking water treatment plants throughout the Commonwealth. (Read more)

Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority Indicted for Environmental Crimes; Will Pay $10 Million in Criminal and Civil Fines and Spend $1.7 Billion Improving Wastewater Treatment (06-382)

WASHINGTON - The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) entered into an agreement to plead guilty to an indictment charging 15 felony counts of violating the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) through the illegal discharge of pollutants from nine sanitary wastewater treatment plants and five drinking water treatment plants, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Argentine Company Pleads Guilty to Illegal Dealing in Chilean Seabass (06-372)

WASHINGTON-Estremar S.A., an Argentine company formerly known as ASC South America S.A., today pleaded guilty to violating federal anti-fish and wildlife trafficking law by importing and attempting to sell Patagonian toothfish, often marketed by the trade name Chilean seabass, without the documentation required to show it was legally harvested. (Read more)

Mcwane, Inc. Executive Sentenced for Committing Environmental Crimes

WASHINGTON-Charles Matlock, an executive with Pacific States Cast Iron Pipe Company, was sentenced in federal court today to 12 months and one day in prison and a $20,000 fine for violating the federal Clean Air Act, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency announced. (Read more)

United States and Louisiana Announce $15 Million Agreement with Marine Shale, Recycling Park, and Southern Wood Piedmont Resolving Hazardous Waste and Other Violations (06-358)

The Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) today announced two settlements that will lead to substantial cleanup of hazardous substances at facilities owned by Marine Shale Processors Inc. and Recycling Park Inc. in Amelia, La. (Read more)

Carcinogen Cut in Texas, Kentucky, New Jersey by an Estimated Total of 40,000 Pounds per Year (06-357)

The United States government, the Louisville Metropolitan Air Pollution Control District (LMAPCD), and the state of New Jersey announced a settlement today with Oxy Vinyls, LP (Oxy Vinyls) under which citizens in areas of Texas, Kentucky and New Jersey will experience reduced exposure to the known human carcinogen vinyl chloride. (Read more)

Wayne County Airport Authority Pleads Guilty to Violation of Clean Water Act (06-356)

Wayne County Airport Authority (Airport Authority), which operates Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport, pleaded guilty today to a misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act, the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency announced. (Read more)

Fact Sheet: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Reopener Provision (06-341)

The United States and the State of Alaska today submitted to Exxon Mobil Corporation a detailed plan for a proposed restoration project intended to restore habitat in the area affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. (Read more)

United States and the State of Alaska Seeking Additional Funds from Exxon Mobil for Continuing Natural Resource Damages Caused by 1989 Oil Spill (06-340)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In accordance with the "Reopener" provision of the 1991 civil settlement with the Exxon Corporation, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Alaska Department of Law today presented the company with a proposed plan to restore shorelines in Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska that still contain oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The State of Alaska and three federal agencies whose trust resources were injured by the spill-the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior-have estimated the project to cost approximately $92 million over the course of several years. The additional funding is being sought under the "Reopener for Unknown Injury" provision of the 1991 civil settlement which required Exxon to pay $900 million in damages at the time. (Read more)

Sparks, Nevada-Based Company Charged with Violating the Clean Water Act (06-300)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Greg Street Plating, Inc.-an electroplating, metal plating and finishing company based in Sparks, Nevada-was charged in a one-count indictment with discharging highly acidic waste into the sewer system that leads to the Truckee Meadows Sewage treatment facility, in violation of the Clean Water Act, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

U.S. Seeks Court Approval on Dredging Agreement with GE (06-297)

WASHINGTON-In another significant step toward cleaning up polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Hudson River, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today asked the U.S. District Court in Albany, New York to approve the October 2005 consent decree with the General Electric Company (GE) for the river dredging called for in EPA's 2002 Record of Decision for the Hudson River PCBs Superfund site. (Read more)

U.S., National Baking Company Reach Settlement to Reduce Stratospheric Ozone-Depleting Refrigerants (06-296)

WASHINGTON-In a settlement to reduce the release of ozone-depleting refrigerants into the atmosphere, a Chicago-based national baking company has agreed to stop using ozone-depleting refrigerants, the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Missouri Wood Treater Fined for Hazardous Waste Violations (06-284)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A federal court in Missouri has ordered Timber Industries, Inc. to pay a penalty of more than $225,000 for illegal disposal of hazardous wastes at its wood treatment facility, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

$3.5 Million Settlement with City of Dallas Requires Increased City Effort to Keep Stormwater Sewers Clean (06-279)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The City of Dallas, Texas has reached an agreement with the federal government requiring the City to spend in excess of $3.5 million in a comprehensive effort to decrease the amount of pollution entering the city's stormwater system, the Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Clean Air Act Settlement to Eliminate Almost 29,000 Tons of Harmful Emissions in Virginia and Maryland (06-278)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a joint federal-state settlement, Mirant Mid-Atlantic (Mirant) has agreed to eliminate nearly 29,000 tons of harmful pollution each year generated by its four electricity generating plants in Maryland and Virginia. The Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Maryland worked jointly on this enforcement action, which will reduce significantly output of nitrogen oxides (NOx) throughout the region. (Read more)

Idaho Transportation Department and Contractor to Pay Total of $895,000 to Settle Federal Storm Water Discharge Claims (06-261)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and contractor Scarsella Brothers, Inc. have agreed to pay $895,000 for violations of the Clean Water Act during the construction of the Bellgrove-Mica realignment of Highway 95 near Lake Coeur d'Alene in Northern Idaho, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Cast Iron Pipe Manufacturer, Company Officials Found Guilty of Environmental Crimes and Worker Safety Violations (06-250)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A New Jersey cast iron pipe manufacturer, Atlantic States Cast Iron Pipe Co. (a division of McWane, Inc.) and four company officials were found guilty of committing flagrant abuses of environmental and worker safety laws, the Justice Department and Environmental Agency announced today. (Read more)

Partial Settlement with Alabama Power will Result in Significant Reductions of Harmful Pollutants (06-242)

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency today announced a partial settlement of a case alleging violations of the New Source Review (NSR) provisions of the Clean Air Act against the Alabama Power Company James H. Miller, Jr. Plant, a coal-fired power plant near West Jefferson, Ala. (Read more)

North Dakota Region Utilities to Spend Over $100 Million Under Clean Air Act Settlement (06-240)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The air quality in North Dakota and surrounding regions will improve significantly because the federal government and the state of North Dakota are requiring two utilities to reduce emissions of two harmful pollutants by more than 33,000 tons per year. (Read more)

Department of Justice Commemorates Earth Day, Highlights Successes in Environmental Enforcement (06-238)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Over the past five years, the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) has worked tirelessly to enforce the nation's civil and criminal environmental laws, resulting in numerous accomplishments, and tangible benefits that protect and restore America's natural resources. (Read more)

Seller of Tiger and Other Endangered Big Cat Skins Sentenced to Prison (06-231)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Kevin M. McMaster-formerly of Port St. Lucie, Florida-was sentenced to 25 months in prison and three years of supervised release for selling and offering to sell in interstate commerce more than $200,000 worth of endangered species in violation of the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Department of Justice announced today. (Read more)

Companies to Spend $30 Million on PCB Cleanup at the Lower Fox River and Green Bay Superfund Site (06-216)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the latest in a series of partial settlements aimed at cleaning up and restoring the Lower Fox River and Green Bay Superfund Site in northeastern Wisconsin, NCR Corp. (NCR) and Sonoco-U.S. Mills, Inc. (Sonoco) have agreed to complete an important initial phase of the cleanup, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency announced today. (Read more)

K.S., Inc. Pleads Guilty to Violating Clean Air Act (06-164)

WASHINGTON-K.S., Inc. (K.S.) pleaded guilty and was sentenced for violating the Clean Air Act, the Department of Justice announced today. (Read more)

Settlement with AK Steel Will Require Cleanup and Investigation of Contamination of Middletown Plant (06-200)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States, the state of Ohio, and two citizen groups have reached a settlement with AK Steel Corporation resolving claims that discharges from AK Steel's Middletown, Ohio steel plant pose a threat to human health and the environment, and violated federal and state environmental statutes and regulations. (Read more)

U.S. Enters Into Settlement Requiring Payment of $7.3 Million and Cleanup at the Colorado Avenue Subsite (06-199)

WASHINGTON-Dravo Corporation (Dravo), Desco Corporation and Desco Corporation d.b.a. Marshalltown Instruments, Inc., (Desco) have agreed to perform an interim cleanup action and pay $7.3 million to resolve their liability for certain cleanup costs relating to the contamination of the Colorado Avenue Subsite of the Hastings Ground Water Contamination Superfund Site, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Virginia Executive & Companies Receive Large Jail Term and Substantial Fines for Environmental Crimes (06-195)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A Virginia executive and two companies, ACS Environmental, Inc. (ACS) and Air Power Enterprises, Inc. (Air Power), were sentenced late yesterday to a substantial jail term and fines for conspiracy to defraud the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

Former Manager of Inwood Dairy Pleads Guilty to Violation of the Clean Water Act (06-170)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - David Inskeep pleaded guilty to a criminal misdemeanor violation of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency announced today. (Read more)

Utah Gold and Silver Refiner, Top Managers Charged with Conspiracy to Violate Environmental Laws (06-166)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A 29-count federal indictment was returned in Salt Lake City, Utah, charging Johnson Matthey, Inc. and two managers with committing conspiracy, concealment by trick, scheme and device, and Clean Water Act (CWA) violations, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Developer Sentenced for Environmental Crimes at Industrial Facility (06-157)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Jeffery L. Springer of Phoenix, Arizona was sentenced today to three years of probation, $2,000 in fines, and $75,000 in restitution to victims for violating the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Department of Justice announced today. (Read more)

Massachusetts Water Resources Authority to Implement Sharp Reductions in Sewage Contamination of Charles River (06-145)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States has reached a landmark settlement with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) requiring the MWRA to implement significant improvements in Boston's sewage collection system, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Corpus Christi Day Cruise LTD. Pleads Guilty to Obstructing U.S. Coast Guard Investigation of M/V Texas Treasure (06-140)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Corpus Christi Day Cruise, Ltd., operator of the M/V Texas Treasure, has pleaded guilty to obstructing a U.S. Coast Guard investigation into whether the ship had illegally discharged waste oil and deliberately bypassed its pollution prevention equipment, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

Southwest Washington Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Importing and Exporting Rare Reptiles (06-133)

WASHINGTON D.C. - Jonathan Corey Sawyer of Camas, Washington, was sentenced in Tacoma today to 15 months in prison and 2 years of supervised release for illegally importing and exporting rare reptiles, the Department of Justice announced today. According to court records, Sawyer illegally smuggled more than 230 reptiles in an eight month period. (Read more)

Puerto Rico Administration of Corrections to Construct $1 Million Water Supply System (06-127)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Puerto Rico Administration of Corrections (PRAC) has agreed to construct a safe drinking water supply system-at a projected cost of $1 million-to provide safe drinking water to the rural community of La Sapia, in Orocovis, Puerto Rico, to resolve violations of a consent decree entered in 1997, the Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Ohio Companies to Pay $3.25 Million to Settle Alleged Natural Resources Damages Claims and Clean Water Act Violations (06-101)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Elkem Metals Company L.P, its two partners-Ferro Invest III Inc. and Ferro Invest II LLC-and Eramet Marietta Inc. have agreed to pay $3.25 million to settle allegations that the companies injured natural resources and violated the Clean Water Act (CWA) as a result of wastewater discharges from a Marietta, Ohio, facility the Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior (DOI), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Commercial Fishing Vessel's Crewmember Pleads Guilty to Concealing Thousands of Pounds of Red Snapper Smuggled into the United States (06-073)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Tam Le, crewmember of the Galveston, Texas-based commercial fishing vessel Thanh Tam, pleaded guilty in federal court to concealing red snapper which was illegally imported into the United States, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

McWane, Inc. And Company Executive Plead Guilty and McWane Sentenced for Environmental Crimes (06-065)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Cast-iron pipe manufacturer McWane, Inc. (McWane) and former vice president and general manager, Charles Matlock, pleaded guilty today in federal court to environmental crimes in connection with the operation of Pacific States Cast Iron Pipe Company (Pacific States). Specifically, McWane pleaded guilty to two counts of submitting a document to the State of Utah containing falsified emission test results. Matlock pleaded guilty to one count of rendering inaccurate a testing method required by the Clean Air Act (CAA). McWane was ordered to pay a $3 million fine-the largest criminal environmental fine in the state of Utah-and to serve a three-year period of probation. Sentencing for Charles Matlock is scheduled for May 2, 2006. (Read more)

MSC Ship Management Sentenced for Oil Pollution Coverup (06-055)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - MSC Ship Management (Hong Kong) Limited-a Hong Kong-based container ship company-has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay a $10 million criminal fine after admitting to engaging in conspiracy, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, false statements and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, the Department of Justice announced today. (Read more)

Former Harbor Island Smelter Operator to Pay $8.5 Million in Superfund Cleanup Costs (06-047)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - RSR Corporation and its subsidiaries, Quemetco, Inc. and QRI, Inc., (RSR) have agreed to pay $8.5 million to resolve RSR's liability for cleanup costs relating to the contamination of Harbor Island, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Company to Pay $11.8 Million in Compensation for PCB-Damaged Fishery and Habitat (06-046)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger), headquartered in Texas, has agreed to pay $11.8 million to federal and state agencies for injuries to natural resources caused by the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) in the Twelvemile Creek, Lake Hartwell and surrounding areas, the Justice Department announced today. Schlumberger will also spend an additional $8 to 10 million to purchase and remove two hydroelectric dams on Twelvemile Creek, and to conduct stream restoration activities. (Read more)

Los Angeles Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Jail For Mishandling Hazardous Waste (06-037)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Behzad Kahoolyzadeh, a west Los Angeles man, was sentenced to 37 months in jail and forced to pay $1.29 million in cleanup costs for conspiracy to improperly store and transport dangerous chemicals, primarily the dry cleaning solvent perchloroethylene (PERC), the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

Federal Court Approves $11 Million Settlement to Resolve Claims at North Ridge Estates Asbestos Site (06-032)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - MBK Partnership-an Oregon general partnership of local real estate developers-along with its partners and related business entities (MBK), have entered into a consent decree to resolve a long-running dispute involving homeowners in Klamath Falls, Oregon, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Commercial Fishing Vessel's Captain Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Thousands of Pounds of Red Snapper Into the United States (06-028)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Hoang Nguyen, captain of the Galveston, Texas-based commercial fishing vessel Thanh Tam, pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally importing red snapper, the Justice Department announced today. Nguyen and his crewmembers had caught and retained the fish in violation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). Both Nguyen and a crewmember were indicted by a grand jury in Houston, Texas on November 23, 2005 for offenses surrounding the illegal importation of red snapper in 2004 and 2005. The illegal importation charge carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. (Read more)

Conagra Foods Sentenced for Violating the Clean Water Act (06-024)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - ConAgra Foods, Inc., the owner and operator of a food ingredient and flour mill in Hastings, Minnesota, was sentenced for violating the Clean Water Act, the Department of Justice announced today. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced ConAgra Foods, Inc., to pay a criminal fine of $138,513 and provide $55,000 in community service to the National Park Foundation as well as $55,000 in community service to the Friends of the Mississippi River. ConAgra was also sentenced to pay $1,487 in restitution to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). (Read more)

Chief Engineer Sentenced for Concealing Vessel Pollution (06-006)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Noel Abrogar, Chief Engineer of the M/V Magellan Phoenix, was sentenced to imprisonment for one year and one day, and three years of probation for falsifying records that attempted to conceal repeated overboard discharges of oil waste from the ship, the Justice Department announced today. Abrogar pleaded guilty on September 7, 2005 to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, based on his role in discharging oil sludge and oil-contaminated bilge waste directly into the ocean from the M/V Magellan Phoenix and then falsifying the ship's records to cover up the discharges between December 2004 and March 2005. (Read more)