Public Notice: Unit 2 site - Consent Agreement and Final Order with AgReserves, Inc., D/B/A Deseret Cattle and Timber, and Deseret Ranches of North Florida, LLC, for Clean Water Act section 404 violations at the Cattle Management
Summary
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 4, located at 61 Forsyth St., S.W., Atlanta, Georgia, 30303, proposes to issue a Consent Agreement and Final Order (CAFO), Docket No. CWA-04-2024-1203(b), that assesses an administrative penalty of $245,400 to Agreserves, Inc., D/B/A Deseret Cattle and Timber, and Deseret Ranches of North Florida, LLC, (Respondents), 60 East South Temple, Suite 1600, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84111, under the authority of Section 309(g)(2)(A) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) 33 U.S.C. § 1319(g)(2)(A).
The CAFO will settle the EPA’s allegations that the Respondent discharged dredged and/or fill material into approximately 2,819.94 acres of jurisdictional wetlands and waters of the United States using earth moving machinery during unauthorized activities associated with the development of pine tree silviculture areas into cattle pastures and the construction of stock ponds centrally located at or near 29.913902° north latitude and 85.318355° west longitude, and generally located north and east of Mexico Beach, south of the Intracoastal Waterway, and west of the Gulf County Canal, Gulf County, Florida, in violation of Section 301(a) of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1311(a). The impacted waters have a continuous surface connection to the Intracoastal Waterway and/or the Gulf County Canal, navigable-in-fact waters of the United States.
EPA is providing public notice of the proposed settlement pursuant to Section 309(g)(4)(A) of the CWA, 33 U.S.C. § 1319(g)(4)(A), and 40 C.F.R. § 22.45. Because this matter involves a CWA Section 309(g) proceeding that is proposed to be simultaneously commenced and settled under 40 C.F.R. § 22.13(b), the EPA cannot resolve or settle this CAFO until ten days after the close of the public comment period in accordance with 40 C.F.R. § 22.45 (b) and (c). For more information contact Christopher Parker at parker.christopher@epa.gov.
Applicants or Respondents
Doug Rose, President and CEOAgReserves, Inc., D/B/A Deseret Cattle and Timber
60 East South Temple, Suite 1600
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
United States
Deseret Ranches of North Florida, LLC
60 East South Temple, Suite 1600
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
United States
Docket Numbers
- EPA-R04-CWA-2024-1203(b)