ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL
BOARD
November
4, 1993
COUNTY
OF
OGLE,
Complainant,
)
v.
AC 91—32
Dockets A&B
(Administrative Citation)
ROCHELLE DISPOSAL SERVICE,
INC.,
and CITY OF ROCHELLE,
)
ILLINOIS,
)
Respondents.
ORDER
OF
THE BOARD
(by C.
A. Manning):
This matter comes before the Board on a motion for
reconsideration filed pursuant to Section 41 of the Illinois
Environmental Protection Act (Act)
on October 18, 1993, by
Rochelle Disposal Service,
Inc.
(Disposal) within the statutory
thirty—five
(35) day deadline.
(415 ILCS 5/40
(1992).)
Disposal
is requesting the Board to reconsider the Board’s decision
allowing for Ogle County’s hearing costs as part of the penalty
in its order in AC 91-32
(Docket A & B), September 23, 1993.
On June 28,
1991 the administrative citation action was
initiated by the County Ogle (County) when it filed this
administrative citation pursuant to Section 31.1 of the Act.
(415 ILCS 5/31.1
(1992).)
The authority to issue administrative
citations was delegated to the County from the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency (Agency) pursuant to Section 4(r)
of the Act.
(415 ILCS 5/4(r)
(1992).)
The Board in its order in
AC 91-32, dated September 23,
1993,
found
Disposal in violation
of Section 21(o) (1) and 21(o) (12) of the Act for refuse in
standing water and failure to collect and contain litter from the
site by the end of each operating day.
Pursuant to Section 42 of
the Act the Board assessed a fine of one thousand dollars
($1000.00) and opened Docket B to assess hearing cost incurred by
the County,
if any.
(415 ILCS 5/21 and 415 ILCS 5/42
(1992).)
Disposal argues that Section 42 of the Act only authorizes
the Board to assess hearing costs incurred by the Board or the
Agency.
(415 ILCS 5/42
(1992).)
In addition Disposal
argues
that
the Board order fails to address factors of mitigation which
could reduce the amount of civil penalty.
The
Board
has
addressed
the
issue of whether it is
appropriate
to
assess
hearing
costs incurred
by
the
local
unit
of
government
in
In
the
Matter
of:
Bi—State DisDosal,
Inc.,
(February
23,
1989),
AC 88—33; County of DuPa~ev.
E
& E Hau1jnc~,
2
Inc.,
(February 8,
1990), AC 88-76 and AC 88-77;
Sa~ngamonCounty
v. Gerald B. Miller,
(June 3,
1993), AC 92-37
•
In each of these
cases, the Board has interpreted the legislative intent and
statutory phrase “hearing costs incurred by the Board and the
Agency”
found
in
Section
42(b)4 of the Act, to include the
hearing
costs
incurred
by
a
unit
of
local
government
which
has
issued an administrative citation pursuant to the Agency’s
delegation of its authority under Section 4(r)
of the Act.
The facts in the instant case are no different than those in
the above mentioned cases where the Board has decided that it is
proper to award hearing costs to the local
unit
of government
that has been delegated the authority to issue administrative
citations.
The County has been delegated the authority to issue
administrative citations.
The County issued an administrative
citation and has potentially incurred costs relating to the
hearing.
The
Board finds no reason at this time to interpret the
statutory language and intent to mean otherwise.
As stated above, Disposal also argues that the Board order
fails to properly address mitigating factors which would reduce
the one thousand dollar penalty ($1000.00).
The Board has
addressed the issue of mitigating circumstances on several
occasions.
Specifically, the Board has found that the Act, by
its terms, does not envision a properly isi~Iedadministrative
citation being dismissed or mitigated because a person is
cooperative after its issuance or voluntarily cleans up the site.
(See, IEPA v. Jack Wright,
(August 30,
1990), AC 89—227, 114 PCB
863 and IEPA v.
Dennis Grubaugh,
(October 16,
1992), AC 92—3,
136
PCB 425.)
Accordingly, the Board accepts the October 18,
1993 motion
for reconsideration but affirms its order of September 23,
1993,
assessing hearing costs incurred by the County and a civil
penalty of one thousand dollars ($1000.00).
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Section 41 of the Environmental Protection Act (415 ILCS
5/41 (1992).) provides for appeal of final orders of the Board
within 35 days.
The rules of the Supreme Court of Illinois
establish filing requirements.
See also,
35 Ill. Adm. Code
101.246, Motions for Reconsideration.
I, Dorothy N. Gunn, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, he eby certify t at the above
rder was adopted on the
_________
day of ______________________,
1993, by
vote of
~orothy
M. G~n, Clerk
Illinois PoiAition
Control Board