Notice2024-24532
Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Clean Air Act
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 23, 2024
Issuing agencies
Justice Department
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 205 (Wednesday, October 23, 2024)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 84625-84626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24532]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Clean Air
Act
On October 17, 2024, the Department of Justice lodged a proposed
consent decree with the United States District Court for the District
of New Mexico in the lawsuit entitled United States of America and New
Mexico Environment Department v. Hilcorp Energy Company, Civil Action
No. 1:24-cv-01055.
In this action, the United States, on behalf of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, and the New Mexico Environment
Department filed a complaint alleging that Hilcorp Energy Company
(``Defendant'') violated the Clean Air Act, the New Mexico Air Quality
Control Act, and the implementing regulations for 192 well completions
in New Mexico by failing to comply with applicable well completion
emissions control requirements, which resulted in excess emissions of
greenhouse gases and volatile organic compounds. The complaint seeks an
Order enjoining Defendant from further violating applicable
requirements and requiring Defendant to remedy, mitigate, and offset
the harm to public health and the environment caused by the violations
and to pay a civil penalty.
Under the proposed settlement, Defendant agrees to pay a civil
penalty of $9,400,000 (of which $4,700,000 is to be paid to the United
States and $4,700,000 is to be paid to the State of New Mexico).
In addition, the settlement requires the Defendant to ensure
ongoing compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements for all
of its future well completions in New Mexico and hire an independent
third party to verify compliance.
The publication of this notice opens a period for public comment on
the proposed consent decree. Comments should be addressed to the
Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division,
and should refer to United States and New Mexico Environment Department
v. Hilcorp Energy Company, D.J. Ref. No. 90-5-2-1-12445. 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:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To submit comments: Send them to:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By email............................ <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ee9e9b8c8d8183838b809ac38b8b9dc08b809c8aae9b9d8a8184c0898198"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="98e8edfafbf7f5f5fdf6ecb5fdfdebb6fdf6eafcd8edebfcf7f2b6fff7ee">[email protected]</span></a>.
By mail............................. Assistant Attorney General, U.S.
DOJ--ENRD, P.O. Box 7611,
Washington, DC 20044-7611.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any comments submitted in writing may be filed by the United States
in whole or in part on the public court docket without notice to the
commenter.
During the public comment period, the proposed consent decree may
be examined and downloaded at this Justice Department website: <a href="http://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees">http://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees</a>. If you require assistance
accessing the proposed consent decree, you may request assistance by
email or by mail
[[Page 84626]]
to the addresses provided above for submitting comments.
Thomas Carroll,
Assistant Section Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment
and Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 2024-24532 Filed 10-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-15-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 23, 2024.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.