ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
December 20, 1990
PEOPLE OF THE STATE
OF ILLINOIS,
)
Complainant,
v.
PCB 90—139
(Enforcement)
ILLINOIS VALLEY PAVING COMPANY,
)
an Illinois 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 the
Agency believes that respondent’s alleged noncompliance was
economically beneficial in that “it would or may have allowed
respondent to conduct operations without expending additional
moneys for testing and possibly additional or improved control
equipment”, there is not any specific information on the amount of
that economic benefit. Section 33(c) of the Environmental
Protection Act (and new Section 42(h)(3), as contained in P.A. 86-
1363, effective September 7, 1990) specifically requires the Board
to consider any economic benefits accrued by noncompliance. I
believe that this provision contemplates a consideration of the
amount of the economic benefit, not just a statement that an
economic benefit was realized. Without more specific information,
it is impossible to know if the penalty of $15,000 even comes close
to any savings realized by respondent.
Finally, I am frustrated that, although this case was brought
in the name of the people of the State of Illinois, there is no
recognition that costs and fees could have been assessed against
respondent. Ill.Rev.Stat.1989, ch. 111 1/2, par. 1042(f). I am
pleased that the Attorney General is beginning to bring enforcement
cases in the name of the People, but I believe that settlement
agreements in such cases should, at a minimum, recognize that the
Board could award costs and reasonable fees.
117—95
2
For these reasons, I dissent.
J. ~Theodore Meyer
Board Member
I, Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereb certify t the above Dissenting Opinion was ~filed
on the
_______
day of
,
1991.
~Dorothy
~
~
2~
c1~i~
/L~
Illinois Po(ljution Control Board
117—96