Notice2026-18669
Notice of Lodging of Proposed Final Supplemental Consent Decree Under the Clean Water Act
Primary source
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Published
September 14, 2026
Issuing agencies
Justice Department
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 176 (Monday, September 14, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 176 (Monday, September 14, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58178-58179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18669]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Notice of Lodging of Proposed Final Supplemental Consent Decree
Under the Clean Water Act
On September 9, 2026, the Department of Justice lodged a proposed
final supplemental consent decree with the United States District Court
for the District of North Dakota in the lawsuit entitled United States
of America and State of North Dakota v. Belle Fourche Pipeline Company,
Civil Action No. 1:22-00089-DLH-CRH.
The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief and civil penalties for
violations of the Clean Water Act, the Pipeline Safety Laws, and North
Dakota state law arising from the failure of Belle Fourche Pipeline
Company's Bicentennial Pipeline approximately 17.4 pipeline miles west
of the Skunk Hill station, in Billings County, North Dakota, on or
about December 1, 2016, resulting in the discharge of oil into an
unnamed tributary to Ash Coulee Creek (the ``Ash Coulee spill'').
Except for certain claims relating to remediation of the Ash Coulee
spill site, referred to as the ``Reserved Remediation Claims,'' the
claims in the lawsuit were resolved by a Partial Consent Decree entered
on October 2, 2023.
The proposed final supplemental consent decree would resolve the
Reserved Remediation Claims and requires Belle Fourche Pipeline Company
(``Defendant'') to implement a Remediation Work Plan to address
environmental impacts resulting from the Ash Coulee Spill. Subject to
certain reservations, entering into and fully complying with the
proposed final supplemental consent decree will also resolve
Plaintiffs' claims, through the date of lodging, for any discharges or
releases to surface water relating to the Ash Coulee Spill.
The publication of this notice opens a period for public comment on
the final supplemental consent decree. Comments should be addressed to
the Assistant Attorney General, Energy and Natural Resources Division,
and should refer to United States and State of North Dakota v. Belle
Fourche Pipeline Company, D.J. Ref. No. 90-5-1-1-11262/2. All comments
must be
[[Page 58179]]
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............................ <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ea9a9f88898587878f849ec78f8f99c48f84988eaa9f998e8580c48d859c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f0808592939f9d9d959e84dd959583de959e8294b08583949f9ade979f86">[email protected]</span></a>.
By mail............................. Assistant Attorney General, U.S.
DOJ--ENRD, P.O. Box 7611,
Washington, DC 20044-7611.
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Any comments submitted in writing may be filed in whole or in part
on the public court docket without notice to the commenter.
During the public comment period, the final supplemental 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 final supplemental consent decree, you may
request assistance by email or by mail to the addresses provided above
for submitting comments.
Jason A. Dunn,
Assistant Section Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Energy and
Natural Resources Division.
[FR Doc. 2026-18669 Filed 9-11-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-15-P
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