Friday, June 23, 2006

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP): The US government has indicted a Puerto Rico utility company for "environmental crimes", and sealed a deal with the utility which will see it pay a record nine million dollar fine for partly polluting US waters.

The US Justice Department and the US Environmental Protection Agency said in a joint statement that the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) has agreed to plead guilty to the indictment relating to Clean Water Act violations.

The criminal fine of nine million dollars is the largest ever paid by a utility for violating the act.

The indictment from the administration of President George W. Bush against the US island territory in the Caribbean follows the discharge of "millions of gallons of inadequately treated sewage and raw sewage through illegal discharges," the statement said.

The Bush administration has been fiercely criticized by environmental groups for rolling-back environmental protections and failing to penalize polluters.

"The Bush administration is holding polluters accountable for their actions and using enforcement tools to enhance our environment and protect public health," said Granta Nakayamea, the EPA's assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance.

In addition to the criminal fine, PRASA has also agreed to spend an estimated 1.7 billion dollars on improvements and other measures at 61 wastewater treatment plants and related systems, and to pay a one million dollar civil penalty.

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