[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1883-1884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00209]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE


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

    Notice is hereby given that on January 3, 2013, a proposed partial 
Consent Decree (``Decree'') was lodged in U.S. v. BP Exploration and 
Production, et al, Civil No. 10-4536 (E.D. La.) (That case is 
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), from the ``Transocean Defendants'' (Transocean 
Deepwater Inc., Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc., Transocean 
Holdings LLC, and Triton Asset Leasing GmbH). That claim arises against 
the Transocean Defendants, 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.

[[Page 1884]]

    Under the proposed Decree, the Transocean Defendants will pay a $1 
billion civil penalty. The proposed Decree does not conclude any claim 
against the Transocean Defendants other than those claims for penalty 
specified in the proposed Decree. The proposed Decree also does not 
resolve any claim brought against other defendants in this civil 
enforcement action.
    Also under the proposed Decree, the Transocean Defendants must 
comply with court-enforceable strictures aimed at reducing the chances 
of another blowout-and-discharge-of-oil and at improving emergency 
response capabilities. Examples of these requirements include: 
Certifications of maintenance and repair of blowout preventers before 
each drilling job, consideration of process safety risks, and personnel 
training related to oil spills and responses to other emergencies. The 
Transocean Defendants will have to meet these requirements for at least 
five years on all their drilling operations in waters near the United 
States.
    The Department of Justice will receive for a period of twenty-one 
(21) calendar days from the date of this publication comments relating 
to the proposed Decree. The 21-day period (and not a longer period of 
time) is provided to ensure both a proper public comment period and an 
opportunity for the Department of Justice to receive, consider, and 
address public comments before the first phase of the civil trial, 
scheduled to begin on February 25, 2013, before the United States 
District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Comments should 
be addressed to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural 
Resources Division, and either emailed to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#84f4f1e6e7ebe9e9e1eaf0a9e1e1f7aae1eaf6e0c4f1f7e0ebeeaae3ebf2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6e1e1b0c0d0103030b001a430b0b1d400b001c0a2e1b1d0a010440090118">[email protected]</span></a> 
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.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html. 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'' 
(<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#531616001017103c232a7d161d0117132620373c397d343c25"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e1a4a4b2a2a5a28e9198cfa4afb3a5a19492858e8bcf868e97">[email protected]</span></a>), 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 $19.50 (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.

Maureen M. Katz,
Assistant Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment and 
Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-00209 Filed 1-8-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-15-P


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