Notice of Lodging of Amendment to Consent Decree Pursuant to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: July 2, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 127)]
[Notices]
[Page 39596]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02jy03-128]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Notice of Lodging of Amendment to Consent Decree Pursuant to the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
In accordance with Departmental policy, 28 CFR 50.7, notice is
hereby given that a proposed Amendment to Consent Decree entered on
January 17, 2001 in United States and State of Mississippi v. Morton
International, Inc., Civil Action No. 1:00-CV-501 BrR, was lodged with
the United States District Court for the Southern District of
Mississippi, Biloxi Division on June 13, 2003.
The Consent Decree involved the settlement of claims brought by the
United States and State pursuant the Solid Waste Disposal Act, as
amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), 42 U.S.C.
6901 et seq., as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of
1984 (HSWA); the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), 42 U.S.C. 300f et
seq.; the Clean Water Act (CWA), 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.; the Clean Air
Act (CAA), 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.; the Emergency Planning and Community
Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA), 42 U.S.C. 11001 et seq.; and the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq. The complaint also contained claims
brought under the Mississippi Solid Waste Disposal Law of 1974, Miss.
Code Ann. 17-17-1 et seq., the Mississippi Air and Water Pollution
Control Law, Miss. Code Ann. 49-17-1- et seq., and the organic act of
the Commission and of the Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality (MDEQ), Miss. Code Ann. 49-2-1 et seq. and sought recovery of
civil penalties and injunctive relief. The United States and State
sought the assessment of civil penalties and injunctive relief. The
proposed and agreed upon Amendment would modify the Consent Decree by
substituting a drinking water supplemental environmental project (SEP)
for a SEP which was no longer viable due to the closing of the facility
in Moss Point, Mississippi.
More specifically, the substitute SEP is a reverse osmosis
treatment process for drinking water systems in Moss Point, Mississippi
that is designed to improve the taste, color and odor of drinking
water. The substitute SEP will provide substantial benefits to the
community. Given the credit earned for the no longer viable SEP, Morton
is obligated to spend $9,434,537.00. If the reverse osmosis system
costs less than $9,434,537.00, Morton will pay the difference to the
United States and State, unless the parties agree on an additional SEP
to be funded with all or a portion of the balance.
The Department of Justice will receive, for a period of thirty (30)
days from the date of this publication, comments relating to the
proposed Amendment to Consent Decree. Comments should be addressed to
the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources
Division, P.O. Box 7611, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC
20044-7611. Each communication should refer on its face to United
States and State of Mississippi versus Morton International, Inc., DOJ
No. 90-7-1-06413.
The proposed Amendment to Consent Decree may be examined at the
Office of the United States Attorney, Southern District of Mississippi,
808 Vieux Marche, 2nd Floor, Biloxi, Mississippi 39530, and at the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 Office, 61 Forsyth Street,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303. During the public comment period, the proposed
Amendment may also be examined on the following Department of Justice
Web site, http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/open.html.
A copy of the proposed Amendment to Consent Decree may be obtained
by (1) mail from the Consent Decree Library, P.O. Box 7611, U.S.
Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20044-7611; or by (2) faxing or
emailing the request to Tonia Fleetwood (tonia.fleetwood@usdoj.gov),
U.S. Department of Justice, fax number (202) 616-6584; phone
confirmation (202) 514-1547. In requesting a copy, please forward the
request and a check in the amount of $6.25 (25 cents per page
reproduction cost), made payable to the U.S. Treasury.
Bruce S. Gelber,
Section Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment and
Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 03-16775 Filed 7-1-03; 8:45 am]
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