ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
September 13, 1989
COUNTY OF DUPAGE,
)
)
AC 88-76, Docket A
& B
Complainant,
)
(No.
88 CD 278)
)
v.
)
and
E & E HAULING,
INC.
)
AC 88-77, Docket A
& B
(Mallard Lake Landfill),
)
(No.
88 CD 279)
Respondent.
DISSENTING OPINION
(by J.
Theodore Meyer):
I dissent
from the majority
order
in this matter because
I
believe that
the majority should have taken
this opportunity
to
provide
for
full
recovery
of
all
hearing
costs
incurred
by
complainant and the Board.
Section 42(b) (4) of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act
(Act)
provides
that
in
an administrative
citation
action,
“any
person found to have violated any provision of subsection
(p)
of
Section 21 of this Act shall pay a civil penalty of $500 for each
violation of each such provision,
plus any hearing costs incurred
by the Board and the Agency.”
(Emphasis added.
Ill. Rev.
Stat.
1987,
ch.
111—1/2,
par.
1042(b)(4).)
In the past,
a majority of
the Board has narrowly construed
“hearing costs” to include only
the travel
costs of the complainant’s attorney,
and the Board’s
hearing officer and court reporter costs.
I believe that “hearing
costs”
as
used
in
Section
42
includes
other
expenses
such
as
attorney time, administrative and support staff time, and overhead
costs.
After
all,
the time spent
by
complainant’s attorney and
Board staff
in preparing for and reviewing the hearing could have
been used to handle other matters
if the instant hearing had not
been held.
State and local government
is now often imposing a series of
“user fees”, on the theory that those who use a service should pay
for
it.
For example,
most state agencies
(including the Board)
charge fees
for photocopies of
that agency’s records
and files.
Since those who do not violate the Act are charged such user fees,
I believe that those who have been found to have violated the Act
should
be
assessed costs
to
the
full
extent
of
the
statutory
authority.
In this case, the Illinois General Assembly has stated
that those found to have violated Section 21(p)
shall pay hearing
costs incurred by the Board and the Agency.
I believe that this
mandate should be given a broad interpretation, and all reasonable
costs
assessed
against
respondent.
This
case
presented
an
opportunity to order the Clerk of the Board and the complainant to
submit an affidavit of all hearing costs,
and I believe that the
Board should have taken this opportunity.
103—101
For these reasons,
I dissent.
JO
Theoddre Meyer
Board
Member
I,
Dorothy
M.
Gunn,
Clerk
of
the
Illinois
Pollution
Control
Board, hereb~ycertify that/the~bove Dissenting Opinion was filed
on the
~
day of
~
,
1989.
~
Dorothy M.
Gui-in,
Clerk
Illinois Pol~tutionControl Board
103—102