United States v. Trident Seafoods Corp., No. 11-1616 (W.D. Wash. Apr. 26, 2012). A settling CWA defendant responsible for violations at its seafood processing facilities must pay a $2.5 million civil penalty and must perform specified injunctive measures to reduce processing wastes and sea floor waste piles.

United States v. Cabot Corp., No. 1:12-cv-01097 (N.D. Ohio May 3, 2012). Eighteen settling CERCLA and CWA defendants responsible for discharges from their industrial facilities into the lower Ashtabula River and Harbor in Ohio must pay more than $2.3 million in natural resource damage assessment costs incurred by federal and state trustees, must implement a number of natural resource damage restoration projects, and must pay $440,000 to the trustees for future restoration activities. 

SIP Proposal: New York (regional haze submission).

EPA entered into a proposed settlement agreement in Portland Cement Ass'n v. EPA, No. 10-1358 (D.C. Cir.), that requires the Agency to take action on pending reconsideration, remand, and compliance date issues. 

EPA reclassified the western Mojave Desert ozone nonattainment area, including Indian country, from moderate to severe-15 for the 1997 eight-hour ozone NAAQS. 

United States v. Freeport-McMoRan Corp., No. 4:12-cv-00307-HCE (D. Ariz. Apr. 24, 2012). A settling CERCLA defendant responsible for damages to natural resources, surface waters, terrestrial habitat and wildlife, and migratory birds in southeastern Arizona must pay $6.8 million to the DOI's Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Fund, including $98,138.70 in unpaid natural resource damage assessment costs.

United States v. Hess Corp., No. 2:12cv2335 (D.N.J. Apr. 25, 2012). A settling CAA defendant responsible for violations at its petroleum refinery in Port Reading, New Jersey, must pay $850,000 in civil penalties and must perform injunctive relief to reduce nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compound emissions.

United States v. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., No. 6:12-cv-01146-EFM-KMH (D. Kan. Apr. 19, 2012). A settling CWA defendant responsible for natural resource damages must pay $252,739 in natural resource damages and reimbursement of assessment costs.

United States v. Atlas-Lederer Co., Nos. C-3-91-309, 3:05-cv-0058 (S.D. Ohio Apr. 25, 2012). Under a combined consent decree and proposed stipulation, settlement agreement, and order, a settling CERCLA defendant responsible for violations at the United Scrap Lead Superfund site in Troy, Ohio, must pay $301,250 in U.S. response costs incurred at the site; a settling Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act and Federal Priority Act defendant must pay $279,750 to the United States for fraudulent diversion of proceeds. 

NOAA-Fisheries announced a 90-day finding on a petition to list the dwarf seahorse as threatened or endangered and to designate critical habitat under the ESA; the agency found that listing may be warranted and initiated a status review.