ILLINOIS
POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
July
10, 1975
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
Complainant,
v.
)
PCB 75—l79
CITY OF CARBONDALE,
Respondent.
INTERIM OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr. Goodman):
On June
23,
1975,
City of Carbondale
(Carbondale)
filed
before the Pollution Control Board
(Board),
a Motion
to
Dismiss
for Lack of Jurisdiction,
or,
in the alternative,
Motion
to Dismiss for Failure to P~1legea Complaint,
or
Cause of Action Against the Respondent.
This motion
is in
response
to a complaint filed by the Environmental Protection
Agency
(Agency)
on April
28,
1975,
alleging development and
operation of a solid waste management site without the
necessary permits
in violation of Rule
201,
202(a)
Solid
Waste Regulations,
and Section 21(e)
of the Environmental
Protection Act
(Act)
Initially,
the
Motion
to Dismiss was untimely.
Rule
308(a)
of Procedural Rules provides that
“all motions
to
dismiss
or strike the complaint or challenging the juris-
diction of the Board must be filed within
15 days after
receipt of the complaint...”
Respondent received the com-
plaint on or about April
30,
1975.
The Motion
to Dismiss
was not filed until June
23,
1975.
The Board’s jurisdiction
is proper.
Carbondale con-
tends that the Board lacks subject matter jurisdiction.
Respondent,
as
a Home Rule City, pursuant
to Article VII,
Section 6-a of the 1970
Illinois Constitution,
has enacted
local environmental legislation.
Respondent contends that
the State has authority to pre-empt such Home Rule legisla-
tion only pursuant to specific constitutional authorization
and
procedure;
i.e.,
that pre-empting legislation must do so
specifically and be passed by
a three-fifths majority of the
State Legislature.
Respondent contends in conclusion that
as the Legislature did not proceed in that manner in passing
the Act,
therefore
the Act was not specifically passed as,
and
does not constitute legislation pre—empting the powers
of Home Rule Municipalities such as Respondent.
The Supreme Court of the State of Illinois has held in
City of Chicago
V.
Pollution Control Board,
59
Ill.
2d 484,
that
home-rule units under Article VII of the 1970 Illinois
18
—
73
Constitution are not exemptcd from regu1aticr~under
the
provisions of the Act regardless of whether they have en-
acted their own legislation on the environment.
The complaint adequately states a cause of action.
Respondent alleges
in the alternative,
that the complaint
fails
to state a cause of action,
contending
that,
“no
concise statement of facts upon which respondent is deemed
to be in violation”,
is advanced.
Respondent cites Pro-
cedural Rule 304(c) (2)
to this effect.
Rule
304 as respon-
dent cites
it, has been superceded.
Under the Procedural
Rules adopted by the Board as of February 14,
1974,
Rule
304(c) (2)
requires a complaint
to contain,
“the dates,
location,
events, nature,
extent,
..
.of discharges or
emissions and consequences alleged
to constitute violations
of the Act or regulations.
..“
The wording of the complaint
adequately puts the respondent on notice as to the dates,
location and nature of the alleged violations as well as
informing it of the specific law and regulations alleged to
have been violated.
Respondent also alleges the complaint fails
to state
what constitutes operation of
a solid waste management site.
The very use of the term “solid waste management site”
is
sufficient as description.
Rule 104(u)
of Solid Waste
Regulations, defines solid waste management as,
“the pro-
cesses of storage, processing or disposal of solid wastes...”.
Rule 104 also defines solid waste disposal,
“refuse”, and
“site”.
These definitions adequately describe the activity
of
“solid waste management site operation,
for the purpose
of allowing respondent
to adequately respond to the complaint.
denied
Therefore,
Carbondale’s Motion to dismiss must be
ORDER
It
is the Order of the Pollution Control Board that the
City of Carbondale’s motion
to dismiss be and hereby
is
denied.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
I,
Christan
L. Moffett,
Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control
Board, hereby certify the above Opinion and Order
were adopted on the
~
day of
,
1975 by a
vote of
-~
stan
L.
Mo.
Illinois Pollution
trol Board
18 —74