FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ENR THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1997 (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 LOUISIANA PETRO-CHEMICAL COMPANY AGREES TO RESTORE 41 ACRES OF LAND NEAR LAKE CHARLES FOR 1994 CHEMICAL PIPELINE LEAK Land Declared Protected Wildlife Habitat WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Conoco Inc. today agreed to restore 41 acres of streamside habitat on the Calcasieu Basin near Lake Charles, Louisiana, at an estimated cost of $150,000, the United States announced. The agreement resolves allegations that a Conoco chemical pipeline leak contaminated the Calcasieu River in southwestern Louisiana, damaging natural resources and wildlife habitat in the area. Under today's settlement, Lake Charles-based Conoco Inc. will restore natural resources in the Calcasieu Basin. The restoration project, located approximately seven miles from where the pipeline leak occured, includes resurrecting wetlands and other streamside habitat that supports countless varieties of fish, wildlife and plants, including hardwood trees. The restored wildlife habitat will be managed and protected for 50 years. The restoration project was selected by Conoco and approved by a task force that included the governor's office, several local governments, citizens groups, and industry representatives. "Restoring and protecting natural resources is essential to maintaining a clean, healthy environment," said Lois Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "Our Nation's environmental laws are the tools that allow us to protect human health and the environment across America in communities like Lake Charles." In a complaint filed today along with the settlement in U.S. District Court in Shreveport, the United States alleged that in March 1994, 1.6 million pounds of a toxic chemical, known as ethylene dichloride, leaked into the Calasieu River from a buried section of pipeline. The pipeline connects the Conoco Marine Terminal with a storage tank at Conoco's Westlake facility. Once the leak was discovered, Conoco began an emergency cleanup under the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Today's settlement, if approved by the court, would resolve the government's lawsuit. The spill contaminated part of the Calcasieu River that is home to several species of fish, turtles, and birds. The area affected by the spill is expected to return to its pre-spill condition through natural recovery within three years. Because the area damaged by the spill will recover naturally in a short period of time, Conoco agreed to perform a separate natural resources restoration project. The proposed settlement, known as a consent decree, will be published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed decree during the 30 day comment period to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20530. ### 97-098