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

Published date03 September 2019
Record Number2019-18889
SectionNotices
CourtJustice Department
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 170 (Tuesday, September 3, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 170 (Tuesday, September 3, 2019)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 46049-46050]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-18889]
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                DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
                Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Clean
                Water Act
                 On August 27, 2019, the Department of Justice lodged a proposed
                Consent
                [[Page 46050]]
                Decree with the United States District Court for the Southern of Texas
                in the lawsuit entitled United States and State of Texas v. City of
                Houston, Texas, Civil Action No. 4:18-cv-03368.
                 The United States and the State of Texas filed a joint Complaint
                against the City, pursuant to Section 309(b) and (d) of the Clean Water
                Act, 33 U.S.C. 1319(b) and (d) and provisions of the Texas Water Code.
                The Complaint seeks, inter alia, injunctive relief to address and
                eliminate illegal discharges, namely sanitary sewer overflows,
                occurring from the City's wastewater collection and transmission system
                and (b) discharges of pollutants from wastewater treatment plants that
                exceed effluent limits established in state-issued permits. Under the
                proposed Consent Decree, the City will implement comprehensive
                injunctive relief measures to eliminate both SSOs and effluent
                violations, as well as measures to prevent such violations. The City
                will pay a civil penalty of $4.4 million, which amount will be shared
                equally by the United States and the State.
                 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 and State of Texas v. City of Houston,
                Texas, D.J. Ref. No. 90-5-1-1-08687/1. 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 $39.25 (25 cents per page
                reproduction cost) payable to the United States Treasury. For a paper
                copy without the exhibits and signature pages, the cost is $20.50.
                Jeffrey Sands,
                Assistant Section Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment
                and Natural Resources Division.
                [FR Doc. 2019-18889 Filed 8-30-19; 8:45 am]
                 BILLING CODE 4410-15-P
                

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