ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
August 30,
1990
ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY,
Complainant,
v.
)
PCB 90—106
(Enforcement)
VILLAGE OF IPAVA, an Illinois
)
municipal corporation,
Respondent.
DISSENTING OPINION
(by J. Theodore Meyer):
I dissent
from the majority’s
acceptance
of
the settlement
stipulation
in this case.
Although
the
proposed
settlement
agreement
states
that
respondent’s
noncompliance was
economically
beneficial
in
that
respondent operated the public water supply without construction
of
improvements
to remove radium,
and therefore avoided costs
of
construction
and permit
applications,
there
is
not
any specific
information on the amount of that economic benefit.
Section 33(c)
of the Environmental Protection Act requires the Board to consider
any economic benefits accrued
by
noncompliance.
I believe that
this
provision
contemplates
a
consideration
of
the
amount
of
economic benefit, not just a statement that an economic benefit was
realized.
Additionally,
I take
issue with the statement that
a
penalty
is
inappropriate “in that the violations did not pose
a
serious
health
risk.”
Taken
to
its
logical
conclusion,
this
statement would mean that a penalty is inappropriate in all cases
where
a
respondent
operated
without
a
permit,
since
operating
without a permit does not,
in and of itself, create a health risk.
The fact
that
respondent
has
agreed
to
construct
the
necessary
improvements also does not convince
inc that no penalty should
be
paid.
Compliance
after the fact does
not mean
that
no
penalty
should be paid for the violation.
Finally,
as I pointed out
in my June
7,
1990 dissent
in this
case,
if this case had been brought
in the name of the People of
the State
of
Illinois,
costs
and
fees
could
have
been assessed
against respondent.
Ill.Rev.Stat.1989,
ch. 111 1/2,
par.
1042(f).
For these reasons,
I dissent.
ii
‘~--~
~
2
J.~Tk~eodor~èyer
Board Member
I,
Dorothy N. Gunn, hereby certify thatthe above Dissenting
Opinion was filed on the
/--~
day of
--
I-
,
1990.
,~
T—~’~
/‘
~
/
—
Dorothy M. Gu~nn,Clerk
Illinois Pollution Control Board
11 4—826