|
TRENTON
– Attorney General Stuart Rabner and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
today announced that Chevron has agreed
to pay $1 million for spilling more than
10,000 gallons of crude oil into the Arthur
Kill last year.
The
funds paid by Chevron in the civil settlement
with the Attorney General’s Office
will be used by NY/NJ Baykeeper for a project
to reestablish oyster beds in New York/New
Jersey Harbor in the area of the Arthur
Kill and Raritan Bay.
“This
is an appropriate settlement, particularly
given that the funds will be used to create
new oyster beds in an effort to reestablish
an important part of the harbor’s
ecosystem,” said Attorney General
Rabner. “Chevron previously paid for
the environmental cleanup of the spill.”
A
barge was offloading crude oil at the Chevron
Perth Amboy facility on Feb. 13, 2006, when
the oil was discharged from a leak in a
pipeline near the Arthur Kill. The oil leached
into the Arthur Kill, where it created a
slick that led the U.S. Coast Guard, the
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
and the Division of Criminal Justice –
Environmental Crimes Bureau to respond.
“The
circumstances surrounding this spill were
thoroughly investigated by our Environmental
Crimes Bureau,” said Director Paw.
“Fortunately, the environmental damage
from the spill was limited due to the quick
response. This civil settlement represents
a beneficial resolution of this matter.”
The
settlement and investigation were handled
for the Environmental Crimes Bureau by Supervising
Deputy Attorney General Edward Bonanno and
State Investigator Stephen Coraggio.
Chevron
previously paid the New Jersey Department
of Environmental Protection $45,000 in a
natural resource damage settlement related
to the spill.
At
one time, New York/New Jersey Harbor was
filled with oyster beds that supported an
entire fishing industry. The oyster population
was decimated through pollution and over-fishing.
NY/NJ Baykeeper has been working to create
new oyster beds in the harbor. The funds
from this settlement will be used for the
Great Beds Western Raritan Bay Habitat Restoration
Project.
#
# #
|
