ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
May
8,
1975
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,
Complainant
v.
)
PCB 75—118
STAR UTILITY COMPANY AN ILLINOIS
CORPORATION:
AND MIDWEST UTILITY
COMPANY, AN ILLINOIS CORPORATION
)
Respondent
INTERIM ORDER AND OPINION
OF’ THE BOARD
(by Mr. Irvin Goodman):
This matter comes before the Board on the motion of
Respondent, Star Utility Company,
to dismiss the complaint
on various grounds.
Respondent’s
first contention attacks the standing
of
the Attorney General
of
the State of Illinois to commence and
prosecute actions before the Pollution Control Board without
specific legal authority in the form of
a statute.
The powers and duties of the Attorney General include
not only those powers conferred upon him by statute, but
also those powers and duties inherent in the office as it
existed at common law,
People v.
Crawford Distributing Co.
(1972)
53 Ill.2d.
332,
291 NE
2d.
648.
Article 11
§2 of the .1970 Illinois Constitution speaks in
terms of
“each person”, expanding the rights of citizens to bring
actions against polluters regardless of special in~jury. The
constitutional commentary
suggests that it was not the intent
thereof to prevent the Attorney General from having standing
to
bring such suits.
Indeed, the term “person”
as defined in the
“Environmental Protection Act”,
111 1/2 Ill.
Rev.
Stat.
§1003
is sufficiently broad to include the Attorney General as repre-
sentative of the State.
111 1/2 111.
Rev.
Stat.
§1031
(b)
therefore, grants the Attorney General the requisite standing
to bring this action.
16—635
—2—
Respondent’s second contention involves an alleged conflict
of interest in having the Attorney General prosecute this action
as the Attorney General represents the Illinois Commerce
Commission to which respondent is also subject.
We find this
allegation specious in
view of the lack of any definite damage to
the respondent.
Respondent fails to state whether there are
pro-
ceedings
pending before the I.C.C.,
involving Respondent,
which are
in conflict with the instant proceeding.
In any event,
the I.C.C.
does not have jurisdiction to hold hearings or issue orders con-
cerning violations
of the Environmental Protection Act.
The next two contentions of Respondent involve, interpreta-
tions of Rule 602(b).
In both contentions, Respondent argues
that 602(b)
refers only to Combined Sewers and Treatment plants
bypasses.
The language of 602(b)
states:
“..
,Overflows from
sanitary sewers are expressly prohibited.” As the respondent ad-
mits to operating
a sanitary sewer, Rule 602(b)
plainly applies
to
it.
We find that Rules 602(b)
and 601(a)
are not so vague, in-
definite or ambiguous and arbitrary as to be unenforceable or
contrary to the constitutions of the State of Illinois or the
United States.
Respondent~scontention that it has a duplicate power plant
does
not meet all the allegations of paragraph
6 of the com-
plaint,
It does raise a question of fact which will be dis-
posed of after a hearing on the merits.
The Complaint does state dates of alleged violations of the Act
and
sufficiently puts the Respondent on notice of specific violations
complained therein so as not to be subject to
a motion to
dismiss.
See EPA
v.
Ashland Chemical Co.
& et al PCB 72-
188.
Finally, Respondent contends that the Board does not
have authority
to impose monetary penalties
or
cease and
desist orders.
It
is well settled that the Board
does
have
authority to impose monetary
penalties
and cease and desist
orders.
Such authority is neither an unlawful delegation of
judicial power
or
a denial of due process and equal protection
of law.
Cobin v.
P.C.B.
et al
16 Ill. App.3d.
958,
397 NE
2d.
191
(1974);
City of Monmouth v~E.P.A.
et al
57 I11.2d
482,
313 NE 2d 161
(1974);
Ford v. E.P.A.
et al,
91 Ill.
App.
3d.
711,
292 NE 2d. 540
(1973);
City of Waukegan v.
P.C,B.,
57 Ill.2d.
170,
311 NE 2d 146
(1974).
16
—636
—3—
It is the opinion of the Board the Respondent’s motion to
Dismiss be denied.
IT IS SO
ORDERED.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certify the above Opinion and orde~were adopted on
the~~ day of
,
1975 by a vote of~—O
4-
Illinois Pollution Cottrol Board
16—637