ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
March 7,
1996
COAL CITY CITGO,
)
)
Petitioner,
)
)
PCB96-173
v.
)
(UST Fund
-
90-Day Extension)
)
ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL
)
PROTECTION AGENCY,
)
)
Respondent.
)
ORDER OF
THE BOARD (by M. McFawn):
On January 31,
1996,
petitioner Coal City Citgo filed a notice of extension ofthe 35-day
appeal period pursuant to
Section 40 of the Act, relating to an October
25,
1995 Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency
(Agency) UST determination.
On February 23,
1996 the
Agency filed a motion to dismiss,
seeking to dismiss petitioner’s request for an extension due to
lack ofjurisdiction.
Coal City Citgo filed a response to the motion to dismiss on February 28,
1996.
In its January
31,
1996 notice ofextension, Coal City Citgo states that it mailed its
request for extension to the Agency, but that its letter was lost either in the mail or at the Agency.
Coal City Citgo has attached to
its notice ofextension a copy ofa letterto the Agency, dated
November
15,
1995,
which asks the Agency to request a 90-day extension from the Board.
In
its motion to
dismiss, the Agency states that a search of its records indicates it did not
receive petitioner’s request.
The Agency further states that petitioner did not contactthe Agency
until
January 22,
1996.
The Agency asserts that petitioner did not appeal the Agency’s decision
within the 35
day time limit,
and that no
request for extension to file the appeal was filed with the
Board.
The Agency therefore
requests that the Board dismiss this matter for lack ofjurisdiction.
In its response to the motion to dismiss, Coal City Citgo states that the Agency did not
prove that it did not receive the request. Coal City Citgo also disputes the assertion that it did not
contact the Agency until January 22,
1996, and states that it made earlier attempts to contact the
Agency.
It asserts that it previously attempted to contact the Agency by phone beginning the last
week in December, but was unsuccessful in reaching the correct persons. Coal City Citgo asserts
that basing the motion to
dismiss on its reaction time to the Agency’s non-response is not
appropriate, especially since there is no guideline as to how quickly the Agency will respond to a
written request.
2
P.A. 88-690 (SB1724) effective January 24,
1995, amends Section 40(c) ofthe
Environmental Protection Act,
which governs the appeal process, to provide:
the 35-day period for petitioning for a hearing may be extended for a period oftime not to
exceed 90 days by
written notice provided to the Board from the applicant and the
Agency within the initial appeal period.
Accordingly, since the parties agree the Agency
issued its final determination letter on
October
25,
1995,
any complete notice was due to be filed or postmarked no later than November
29,
1995. (See 35 Adm. Code
101.102(d) and 101.109.) Coal City Citgo’s notice was not
received by the Board until January 31,
1996,
and the Agency has never filed an agreement to
the requested extension.
Coal City Citgo ‘s assertions concerning the Agency’s receipt and loss
ofits letter notwithstanding, neither party filed an extension request “within the initial appeal
period” as required pursuant to amended Section 40(c). Because the statutory conditions for the
extension have not been met, the Board cannot grant a 90-day extension ofthe time in which to
file an appeal pursuant to Section 40(c).
The Agency’s motion to dismiss
is hereby granted, and petitioner’s request for a 90-day
extension is denied.
This matter is dismissed and the docket is closed.
IT IS
SO ORDERED.
Section
41 ofthe Environmental Protection Act (415 ILCS
5/41
(1994)) provides for the
appeal of final Board orders within 35
days ofthe date ofservice ofthis order.
The Rules ofthe
Supreme Court ofIllinois establish filing requirements. (See also 35
Ill.Adm.Code
101.246
“Motions for reconsideration”.)
I, Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk ofthe Illinois Pollution Control Board, hereby certify that the
above order was adopted on the
7
~
day of
2t
t&~JY,
1996, by a vote of
Clerk
Control Board
Illinois