"10 Years of Pollution, $2 Million in Penalties"

[applegrove]

10 Years of Pollution, $2 Million in Penalties

by Ben Geman at the National Journal

http://www.nationaljournal.com/new-energy-paradigm/10-years-of-pollution-2-million-in-penalties-20140521

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Citgo was convicted of criminal charges under the Clean Air Act in 2007 for operating two large tanks at its Corpus Christi East Plant without emissions controls from 1994 to 2003. The lack of controls, prosecutors say, exposed nearby residents to the carcinogen benzene and other compounds.

But seven years after the conviction, the case is still a focus of attention in this industrial port city on the Gulf Coast of Texas, where refineries abut largely poor and minority neighborhoods. Victims are continuing to press their case for restitution payments from Citgo for hundreds of people.

Citgo was hit with a $2 million fine when sentencing for the 2007 conviction occurred in February, but more recently a federal judge ruled against providing what the Justice Department and victims say should be far more to address future medical costs and more.

......


"There is no deterrent value, really, in our sentencing guidelines for corporations, because we know that $2 million is not a deterrent for a major, multibillion-dollar corporation," Jarrell, who works with activists here, said in an interview in early May. "I'm certain other corporations saw that."



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