Brandywine Conservancy to use bulk of money for environmental protection
PHILADELPHIA – SugarHouse HSP Gaming, LP has agreed to pay $650,000 to resolve claims that it performed unauthorized work at the SugarHouse casino and entertainment complex along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, in violation of the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger said Monday.
To ensure that the environment receives the maximum benefit from this resolution, the settlement requires SugarHouse to pay the majority of the money, $625,000, to the Brandywine Conservancy, which is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-approved non-profit conservation organization with demonstrated experience in land and water conservation, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“This case reinforces our commitment to protecting the environment by ensuring that corporations either follow environmental laws or face serious sanctions,” Memeger said in the release.
The Army Corps will ensure that the $625,000 will be used to protect waters and wetlands in the five-county area; the remaining $25,000 payment will be made to the government as a civil penalty in accordance with the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act, the release said.
The Clean Water Act required SugarHouse to obtain an Army Corps permit before discharging dredged and/or fill material into U.S. waters, the release said of the United States. The Rivers and Harbors Act requires SugarHouse to obtain an Army Corps permit for all work in or affecting navigable U.S. waters, the release said.
During an investigation by the Army Corps, prosecutors said that from 2009 to 2010, SugarHouse, and or persons acting on its behalf, conducted work and discharged dredged and/or fill material into waters of the United States, at the SugarHouse site, without the required Army Corps permit, despite three cease and desist letters by the Army Corps, the release said.
