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September 2008
USA v. CITGO Petroleum Corporation
Statute(s): Clean Water Act
Summary:

On June 19, 2006, heavy overnight rainstorms in Louisiana caused the discharge of 53,000 barrels of oil from a CITGO petroleum refinery into the Indian Marais and Calcasieu Rivers.  The spill resulted from the negligent failure of CITGO to maintain storm water tanks and adequate storm water storage capacity. Consequently, commercial transportation on the two rivers was disrupted for 10 days.
Result:

On September 17, 2008, CITGO pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Clean Water Act and agreed to pay a $13 million fine, the largest ever for a criminal misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act.  Additionally, CITGO must implement an Environmental Compliance Plan to protect the environment against similar spills in the future.