ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
January 19,
1989
LEFTON IRON AND METAL COMPANY,
INC.,
a Missouri Corporation,
)
arid LEFTON LAND AND DEVELOPMENT
)
COMPANY,
INC.,
a Missouri
Corporation,
Complainants,
v.
)
PCB 87—191
MOSS-AMERICAN CORPORATION,
a Delaware Corporation,
and
KERR—McGEE CHEMICA~LCORPORATION,
a Delaware Corporation,
Respondents.
ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by J. Marlin):
On December
29,
1988,
Kerr McGee filed
a counterclaim
in
this action.
No motions or
pleadings responsive
to the
counterclaim have been filed.
The Board
notes
that, until cancelled by Hearing Officer
Order entered January
17,
1989, hearing concerning Lefton~s
complaint was scheduled
to
commence January 30,
1989.
The cancellation was premised upon
a
January
5,
1989 letter
from counsel
for Lefton which, among
other
things,
noted
uncertainty about
the validity of
a counterclaim
in
a Board
proceeding.
The Board believes that
an early ruling could
expedite the progress of this litigaton.
It
would appear that Kerr McGee’s asserted claim
is
in the
nature of
a complaint pursuant
to Section
31 of the Act.
It
would further appear that
the Board
is required
first
to
determine whether
the “complaint”
is duplicitious
or
frivolous
(Section 31(b)), and
then whether
the “complaint” should proceed
as
a counterclaim
as filed,
or should instead be docketed and
proceed
as
a separate action.
Kerr—McGee
is directed
to address
these
issues by way of brief
or other appropriate
filing on or
before February
6,
and Lefton to file any response on or before
February 17,
1989
so
that the Board can address
this matter
at
its February 23 meeting.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
95—291
—2—
I, Dorothy M. Gum,
Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board,
hereby certU-~that the above Order was adopted on
the ~/~-~?‘day of
~
,
1989,
by a vote of
-7-°
p22.
~
Dorothy M. G~n, Clerk
Illinois Pollution Control
Board
95—292