Water Supply and Storage Company to Pay $9 Million for Damages to Rocky Mountain National Park (08-377)

Water Supply and Storage Company (WSSC), a mutual ditch company and the owner and operator of the Grand River Ditch, has agreed to pay $9 million for damages to natural resources within Rocky Mountain National Park caused by a May 30, 2003, breach of the Grand River Ditch, the Justice Department and National Park Service announced today. (Read more)

Former FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Employee Sentenced for Lying to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (08-365)

David Geisen of DePere, Wisc., was sentenced today to four months of home confinement with electronic monitoring for making false statements and misleading the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) about the quality of past inspections of the reactor-head at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station during the fall of 2001, the Justice Department announced. (Read more)

U.S. Coast Guard Officer Pleads Guilty for Lying about Vessel Pollution (08-370)

David G. Williams, a Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and the Main Propulsion Assistant for the Coast Guard Cutter RUSH, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Hawaii to one count of making a false statement, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment & Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Edward H. Kubo Jr. (Read more)

Mexican National Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Smuggling Protected Sea Turtles (08-361)

Esteban Lopez Estrada, a Mexican national, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Denver to 24 months in prison for his participation in the sale and smuggling of sea turtle and other exotic skins and skin products into the United States from Mexico, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

Corporation Pleads Guilty to Ocean Discharge Violations (08-354)

The National Navigation Company (NNC) pleaded guilty and was sentenced today in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon for 15 felony charges, the Justice Department announced. The company, based in Cairo, Egypt, admitted to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and making false statements to federal officials. (Read more)

Mexican National Sentenced for Smuggling Protected Sea Turtles (08-345)

Carlos Leal Barragan, of Ciudad Guzman, Mexico, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado to serve 16 months in prison and three years supervised release in connection with his sale and smuggling of internationally protected sea turtle skins and sea turtle products from Mexico to the United States, the Justice Department announced. (Read more)

Taiwanese And U.S. Companies Settle Clean Air Violations (08-339)

A Taiwanese manufacturer and three American corporations will pay a $2 million civil penalty for allegedly importing and distributing approximately 200,000 chainsaws in the U.S. that failed to meet federal air pollution standards, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency announced today. The companies also agreed to spend approximately $5 million on projects to reduce air pollution. (Read more)

Holly Refining Agrees to Spend Millions to Upgrade Pollution Controls (08-323)

Holly Refining & Marketing has agreed to spend more than $17 million in new and upgraded pollution controls at its refinery in Woods Cross, Utah, and pay a $120,000 civil penalty, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. The settlement, which resolves alleged violations of the Clean Air Act by Holly, is expected to reduce air pollution by more than 420 tons of harmful emissions annually. (Read more)

Chinese Baby Furniture Company and its President Indicted for Smuggling Internationally Protected Wood (08-300)

Danny M. Chien, a Taiwanese citizen and resident of Shanghai, China, and Style Craft Furniture Co., Ltd., were each indicted today by a federal grand jury in Newark, N.J., on one count of smuggling, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Christopher J. Christie, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. (Read more)

ConocoPhillips Pays $1.2 Million to Settle Clean Water Act Violations (08-274)

ConocoPhillips, an international energy company, has agreed to pay a $1.2 million civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Water Act related to over 2,000 effluent discharges from a petroleum refinery it operates in Borger, Texas, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced. (Read more)

Ship Operator Pleads Guilty to Concealing Vessel Pollution (08-272)

PACCSHIP, the operator and manager of approximately ten ships that regularly carry goods between Asia and ports in the United States, pleaded guilty today and was sentenced to pay a $1.7 million fine for crimes related to improper transfers and discharges of oil-contaminated waste from two of its ships, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and George E. B. Holding, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. (Read more)

Pennsylvania Man Sentenced for Making False Statements in Attempt to Import Big Game Leopard Trophy (08-225)

Mark Booth, of Shippensburg, Pa., was sentenced today to pay $10,000 fine, $5,000 community service payment and to serve three years probation, by U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Babcock in the District of Colorado for making false statements in connection with his attempt to import the trophy parts of a leopard illegally killed in South Africa in 2003, the Justice Department announced. During the probationary period, Mr. Booth is prohibited from hunting anywhere in the world and must take steps to notify the trophy-hunting community of the need to comply with laws and regulations related to that activity. (Read more)

Ship Pilot Charged in San Francisco Bay Oil Spill Case (08-210)

John Joseph Cota, the pilot of the Cosco Busan, the 65,131-ton container ship that collided with the San Francisco Bay Bridge resulting in the discharge of approximately 58,000 gallons of oil, was charged today with violations of the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division and Joseph P. Russoniello, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California. (Read more)

Lexington, Ky., Agrees to Major Sewer System Upgrades (08-207)

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) in Kentucky has agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer systems, at a cost estimated to exceed $290 million, to eliminate unauthorized overflows of untreated raw sewage, and to reduce pollution levels in urban storm water. In addition, LFUCG will pay a civil penalty of $425,000 to the United States and implement two federal and two state environmental projects valued at $2.73 million that will provide additional environmental benefits to the Lexington community. (Read more)

Illinois Corporation Pleads Guilty to Illegally Dealing in Falsely Labeled Fish from Vietnam (08-199)

True World Foods Chicago, LLC, was sentenced on March 11, 2008, to pay $60,000 for its role in purchasing and re-selling falsely labeled frozen fish fillets in violation of the Lacey Act, the Justice Department announced today. The Lacey Act prohibits, among other things, the receipt, acquisition or purchase of fish that was taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of U.S. laws or regulations. (Read more)

Uranium Processing Company Pleads Guilty to Poisoning Migratory Birds (08-198)

Cotter Corp., headquartered in Denver, Colo., pleaded guilty and was sentenced today in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado for its role in the poisoning deaths of migratory birds at its uranium processing facility near Cañon City, Colo., the Justice Department announced. (Read more)

Seventh Defendant Pleads Guilty in Turtle Smuggling Case (08-197)

Martin Villegas Terrones, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Denver for his role in an illegal smuggling operation that trafficked in protected turtle species, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

W.R. Grace to Pay for Cleanup of Asbestos Contamination in Libby, Montana (08-194)

W.R. Grace, a global supplier of specialty chemicals, has agreed to pay $250 million, the highest sum in the history of the Superfund program, to reimburse the federal government for the costs of the investigation and cleanup of asbestos contamination in Libby, Mont., the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

The City of Jacksonville Agrees to Clean up two Superfund Sites (08-193)

The city of Jacksonville, Fla., has agreed to clean up two Superfund Sites located within the city limits at an estimated cost of $94 million, the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. In addition, the settlement requires the city to reimburse all costs incurred by EPA. (Read more)

Chief Engineer of U.S. Ship Pleads Guilty to Concealing Deliberate Pollution in “Magic Pipe” Case (08-151)

The former chief engineer of an American-flagged car-carrier pleaded guilty today to criminal charges related to the deliberate discharge of oil-contaminated bilge waste through a “magic pipe” that bypassed required pollution prevention equipment, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. (Read more)

Commercial Fishing Vessel’s Captain Sentenced for Disposing of Spiny Lobster Tails to Prevent their Seizure (08-149)

Zane H. Fennelly, a former captain of a Jacksonville, Fla.-based commercial fishing vessel, was sentenced today to 4 months in prison and one year supervised release, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

Agreement Ensures Funding for Second Phase of Cleanup at Industri-plex Site in Massachusetts (08-148)

A comprehensive settlement was reached today between the federal government, the Pharmacia Corporation and Bayer CropScience Inc., which will ensure the second phase of cleanup actions at the Industri-Plex Superfund Site in Woburn, Mass., the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced. The settlement agreement is contained in a consent decree lodged today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by the Justice Department on behalf of the EPA. (Read more)

Virgin Islands Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Removal of Asbestos (08-143)

Cleve Allen George, the owner of the Virgin Islands Asbestos Removal, Co., was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for multiple violations of the Clean Air Act and false statements related to the demolition of a low-income housing neighborhood in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

Home Depot Settles Storm Water Violations (08-142)

Home Depot has agreed to pay a $1.3 million penalty and implement a nationwide compliance program to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Water Act, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. The settlement resolves alleged violations that were discovered at more than 30 construction sites in 28 states where new Home Depot stores were being built. (Read more)

Chinese National Sentenced to Prison in Turtle Smuggling Case (08-128)

Wang Hong, a Chinese national, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Denver to 167 days in prison and three years of supervised release, the Justice Department announced today. Wang pleaded guilty to federal smuggling charges earlier this year in connection with his sale and shipment of endangered sea turtle shell and shell products from China to the United States. (Read more)

CBS Corp. to Pay More than $31 Million for Final Cleanup of Bloomington, Indiana Superfund Sites (08-125)

CBS Corp. has agreed to pay $31.35 million to resolve all outstanding liability related to the cleanup of six Superfund sites in and near Bloomington, Ind., the Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Indiana announced today. This is the last in a series of partial settlements that have been negotiated with CBS over the past 10 years after the parties abandoned their original settlement, which required CBS to excavate and incinerate PCB-contaminated materials. (Read more)

Sixth Defendant Pleads Guilty in Connection with Illegal Sea Turtle Smuggling (08-103)

Esteban Lopez Estrada, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Denver to one felony count of smuggling and one felony count of money laundering in connection with the smuggling of sea turtle and other exotic skins and skin products into the United States from Mexico, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

Shipping Company and Chief Engineer Plead Guilty to Vessel Pollution Related Charges (08-099)

Italian shipping company B. Navi Ship Management Services and Chief Engineer Dushko Babukchiev pleaded guilty in connection with the illegal dumping of oily sludge, bilge wastes and oil contaminated ballast water from one of the company’s ships, the M/V Windsor Castle, a 27,000 gross-ton bulk carrier vessel, Assistant Attorney General Ronald J. Tenpas, U.S. Attorney Donald J. DeGabrielle Jr., and U.S. Coast Guard Captain James E. Tunstall announced. (Read more)

Mississippi Hazardous Waste Operator Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Environmental Crimes (08-097)

Dennie Eugene Pridemore was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Natchez, Miss. to 41 months in prison and 3 years probation for illegally storing and disposing hazardous waste, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency announced. (Read more)

Atlantic Richfield Company Agrees to Pay $187 Million for Montana Superfund Cleanup (08-096)

The Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) has agreed to pay $187 million that will finance a major cleanup along 120 miles of the Clark Fork River and other areas in southwestern Montana, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency announced today. (Read more)

Two More Plead Guilty in Turtle Smuggling Case (08-074)

Jorge Caraveo of El Paso, Texas, and Carlos Leal Barragan of Jalisco, Mexico, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Denver to felony charges in connection with the smuggling of sea turtle and other exotic skins and skin products into the United States from Mexico, the Justice Department announced today. Caraveo pleaded guilty to three counts of smuggling, and Leal Barragan pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling and one count of money laundering. (Read more)

Tamarack Resort Pays $185,000 Penalty to Settle Storm Water Violations (08-056)

The Tamarack Resort, located approximately 100 miles north of Boise, Idaho, has agreed to pay the United States a $185,000 penalty to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act arising from storm water violations discovered on the resort’s property in 2005 and 2006, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency announced. (Read more)

Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Protected Sea Turtles (08-040)

Oscar Cueva of McAllen, Texas pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Denver to a felony count of conspiracy to smuggle protected sea turtle and other exotic skins and skin products into the United States and to launder funds in support of that smuggling, the Justice Department announced. (Read more)

Massey Energy to Pay Largest Civil Penalty Ever for Water Permit Violations (08-031)

Massey Energy Company, Inc. has agreed to pay a $20 million civil penalty in a corporate-wide settlement to resolve Clean Water Act violations at coal mines in West Virginia and Kentucky, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced. This is the largest civil penalty in EPA’s history levied against a company for wastewater discharge permit violations. (Read more)

Three Parties Agree to Pay for Cleanup of Iron Horse Park Superfund Site in Massachusetts (08-030)

Boston and Maine Corp., BNZ Materials Inc., and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), have agreed to perform environmental cleanup work expected to cost $23.53 million at the 553-acre Iron Horse Park Superfund Site located in Massachusetts, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. (Read more)

Sinclair Oil Agrees to Improved Refinery Pollution Controls (08-028)

Sinclair Oil Corp. will pay a $2.45 million civil penalty and spend more than $72 million for new and upgraded pollution controls to reduce air pollution from the company's three refineries, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. The settlement resolves alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at the company's facilities in Casper and Sinclair, Wyo., and in Tulsa, Okla. (Read more)

Illinois Resident Pleads Guilty to Illegally Dealing in Falsely Labeled Fish from Vietnam (08-026)

David S. Wong, a resident of Elk Grove Village, Ill., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to violating the Lacey Act for purchasing and re-selling a specific species of fish in the catfish family when he reasonably should have known that the fish had been imported illegally, the Justice Department announced. (Read more)

Branko Lazic Sentenced for Clean Air Violation (08-023)

Branko Lazic, owner of Bilaz, Inc., was sentenced today in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to six months home confinement for a Clean Air Act violation for improper removal of asbestos, the Justice Department announced. (Read more)

Ship’s Chief Engineer Sentenced in Vessel Pollution Case (08-019)

Mark Humphries, the former chief engineer of the M/V Tanabata, an American-flagged car-carrier ship based in Baltimore, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to six months in prison for conspiracy to make illegal discharges of oily waste and lying to the Coast Guard, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. (Read more)

Second Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Protected Sea Turtles (08-018)

Fu Yiner, a Chinese national, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado to a felony count of smuggling in connection with his sale and shipment of internationally protected sea turtle shell and sea turtle shell products from China to the United States, the Justice Department announced. (Read more)

Environmental Supervisor Sentenced for Violations at Patuxent River Naval Air Station (08-017)

Robert Langill of Woburn, Mass., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., to 60 days in prison, 10 months home detention, and 2 years of supervised release for violating the Clean Air Act in connection with asbestos abatement at the U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. (Read more)

Insurance Company Agrees to Pay $42.5 Million for Environmental Cleanup at Former Fruit of the Loom Facilities (08-015)

The American International Specialty Lines Insurance Company, Inc. (AISLIC), has agreed to pay $42.5 million to clean up contamination at four industrial facilities in a suit in which the Department of Justice intervened on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies. The four sites, formerly owned by Fruit of the Loom, are located in Michigan, New Jersey and Tennessee. (Read more)

Individual Sentenced for Poisoning Migratory Birds (08-005)

WASHINGTON – Lyle Ravenkamp of Hugo, Colo., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and was sentenced for his role in the poisoning deaths of over 2,200 migratory birds on agricultural land, the Justice Department announced. (Read more)

Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Protected Sea Turtles (08-004)

Wang Hong, a Chinese national, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado to a felony count of smuggling in connection with his sale and shipment of internationally protected sea turtle shell and sea turtle shell products from China to the United States, the Justice Department announced. (Read more)