01-7675. Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree Pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act

In accordance with Department policy, 28 CFR 50.7, notice is hereby given than a consent decree in United States and State of Maine v. Allen's Transfer & Storage, et al., Civil No. ME Civ. No. 00-249-B-C and NH Civ. No. C.01-27-M (D.Me.), was lodged on March 7, 2001 with the United States District Court for the District of Maine.

The proposed consent decree embodies an agreement with 130 potentially responsible parties, pursuant to section 107 of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9607, to pay $2,821,261.75, in aggregate, and five federal potentially responsible parties to pay $257,383.67, in aggregate, in reimbursement of past response costs at the Hows Corner Superfund Site in Plymouth, Maine (“Site”). A total of $2,552,976.96 of these amounts will be paid to United States and the balance will be paid to the State of Maine.

The monies paid by the settling defendants under the consent decree is to reimburse past costs incurred at the Site. The consent decree provides the settling defendants with releases for civil liability for EPA's and the State's past response costs at the Site.

The Department of Justice will receive, for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of this publication, comments relating to the proposed consent decree. Comments should be addressed to the Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, P.O. Box 7611, Washington, D.C. 20044-7611, and should refer to United States v. and State of Maine v. Allen's Transfer & Storage, et al., DOJ Ref. No. 90-11-3-1733/1.

The proposed consent decree may be examined at the Office of the United States Attorney, 99 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor, Bangor, ME 04401, and at the Region I Office of the Environment Protection Agency, Region I Records Center, 1 Congress Street, Suite 1100, Boston, MA 02114-2023. A copy of the proposed consent decree may be obtained by mail from the Consent Decree Library, P.O. Box 8611, Washington, DC 20044-7611. In requesting a copy, please refer to the referenced case and enclose a check in the amount of $38.50 (25 cents per page reproduction costs), payable to the Consent Decree Library.

Ronald G. Gluck,

Assistant Section Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division.