ILLINOIS
POLLUTION
CONTROL
BOARD
December 20, 1995
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,
)
Complainant,
V.
)
PCB 95—163
)
(Enforcement-Air, Water
& RCRA)
CLARK
REFINING & MARKETING,
INC.,)
Respondent.
ORDER OF THE BOARD (by E. Dunham):
This matter comes before the Board on a “Motion to
Reconsider and Vacate” filed on September 13, 1995 by
complainant.
Complainant requests that the Board reconsider and
vacate the Board’s September 7,
1995 order granting in part Clark
Refining & Marketing,
Inc. ‘s
(Clark’s)
motion to strike and
dismiss portions of the complaint or allow complainant additional
time to file a response to the motion.
On October
5,
1995,
the
Board granted complainant additional time to file its response to
Clark’s July 28,
1995 motion to strike and dismiss portions of
the complaint.
The Board allowed the complainant’s request for
additional time to file a response based on complainant’s
contention that it did not receive a copy of the motion to strike
or dismiss.
Complainant filed its response to Clark’s motion to
strike or dismiss on October 13,
1995.
The Board reconsiders its
September 7,
1995 order in this matter based on the response
filed by the complainant.
The 13-count complaint in this matter was filed on June 6,
1995 by the Attorney General of the State of Illinois,
on his own
motion and at the request of the Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency (Agency).
In its September 7,
1995 order, the
Board partially granted Clark’s motion to strike.
The Board
ordered that certain portions be stricken from the complaint
because proper notice prior to the filing of the complaint as
required by Section 31(d)
of the Environmental Protection Act
(Act)
(415 ILCS 5/31(d)
(1994))
was not given to the respondent.
The portions to be stricken from the complaint were Count XIII in
its entirety and portions of the following paragraphs:
paragraph
7 of Count III, paragraph
18 of Count V, paragraph 10 of Count
IX, paragraphs
13 and 22 of Count
X, paragraph 21 through 25 of
Count XI and paragraph 26 of Count XI.
Timeliness of Clark’s Motion to Strike
Complainant maintains that Clark’s motion should be denied
because
it was filed later than 14 days after the filing
of the
complaint.
Pursuant to 35 Ill. Adm. Code 103.140(a),
in
enforcement actions,
“fall
motions by respondent to dismiss or
strike the complaint or challenging the jurisdiction of the Board
2
shall be filed within 14 days after receipt of complaint”.
Complainant cites to People v. City of Herrin
(July 20,
1995),
PCB 95-158 in support of its contention that the motion should be
dismissed as untimely.
Clark
argues that 35 Ill.
ACID.
Code 101.243(b)
is the
standard to be applied in this case.
Section 101.243(b) provides
that “all motions challenging jurisdiction shall be filed prior
to the filing of any other document by the
moving
party,
unless
material prejudice will result.”
Section 101.243 is generally applicable to all proceedings
before the Board while Section 103.140 is applicable to
enforcement actions pursuant to Section 101.100.
Therefore,
Section 103.140 is applicable to this enforcement action.
However, the Board may still exercise its discretion to consider
a motion filed after the 14-day period if material prejudice
would
result,
as allowed by Section 101.243.
The Board finds
that Clark would be materially prejudiced if the Board were to
find the motion to strike or dismiss as untimely.
Therefore, the
Board will consider the merits of Clark’s motion to strike or
dismiss.
Typographical error
Complainant contends that the violation of Section 9(a)
alleged in paragraph 7 of Count III should not be stricken.
Complainant contends that the reference to Section 9(b)
of the
Act in the April
26,
1994 Enforcement Notice Letter was a
typographical error and should have been Section 9(a) of the Act.
Complainant notes that the obligation to submit the required
report is established by regulation rather than by permit
condition.
The Board finds that the reference to 9(a)
in paragraph
7 of
Count III should be restored to the complaint.
Sections 9(a) and
9(b) are substantially different.
Section 9(a) contains a
general prohibition against air pollution while Section 9(b)
pertains to permitting.
Complainant claims that the reference to
Section 9(a)
is
a typographical error.
None of the enforcement
notice letters in the record contain any citation to Section
9(a)
in reference to the alleged reporting violation as contained in
the complaint.
However, the required notice for Section 9(a) was
provided by citing to the appropriate section of the
administrative code and reference to facts sufficient to place
Clark on notice of the potential violation.
Where specific sections of Board regulations with facts to
support violations are noticed; the Board will deem the
respondent to be on notice of a violation of the general sections
of the Act from which those regulations derive.
3
Violations flowing from conduct contained in the notice letter.
Complainant contends that the violation of Section 9(b)
in
paragraph 18 of Count V should not be stricken because the
alleged violations
(operating without a permit) flow from conduct
that
was the subject of a Section 31(d)
notice.
Complainant
states that respondent was notified that its wastewater treatment
plant exceeded the emission limits of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 219.986
and
219.991.
(See IEPA
Enforcement
Notice
letter dated April 26,
1994.)
Complainant argues that because respondent was denied an
air operating permit due to these violations, and respondent was
on specific notice as to the emission limit violations,
respondent was therefore, reasonably apprised that other
violations would flow from that noncompliance.
Complainant
maintains that an additional Section 31(d)
notice is not
necessary for violations that flow from conduct that was the
subject of a Section 31(d)
notice.
Similarly,
complainant argues that
Count XIII
arid paragraphs
13 and 22 of Count X should not be stricken because Clark was
notified of the offending conduct, albeit not all the violations
that occurred as a result of that conduct.
Complainant reasons
that no additional Section 31(d) notice should be required.
The
portions stricken at Count X concern Clark’s failure to have a
NPDES permit; Count XIII alleged violations
of Section 12(a)
relating to oil sheens on state water.
The violation actually
noticed involved contamination of surface waters,
i.e., violation
of Sections 12(a) and
(d)
of the Act.
(See IEPA Pre-Enforcement
Conference Letters dated October 7 and 21,
1994).
Complainant maintains that since the Section 31(d) notice is
a step removed from the formal complaint and intended to he more
informal, the scrutiny of
a Section 31(d)
notice should be less
rigorous than the requirements for the complaint.
Complainant
cites to Rasky v. Department of Registration and Education (1st
Dist.
1980),
87 Il1.App.3d 580,
585—586, 410 N.E.
2d 69,’ to
illustrate that a complaint need not detail every allegation to
be considered sufficient.
In Rasky, the plaintiff maintained
that the complaint was insufficient because it did not specify in
detail the municipal codes which the plaintiff was alleged to
have violated.
The court in Rasky found the complaint was
sufficient because the appropriate section of the statute was
‘Rasky sought the revocation of plaintiff’s real estate
broker’s license under the Real Estate Brokers and Salesman
License Act
(Ill. Rev. Stat 1975,
ch.
114½)
which provides that a
license may be revoked where the registrant has shown
unworthiness or incompetency
which nay be shown by knowledge of
the registrant to be in violation of ordinance.
The municipal
code violations were alleged to show the registrant’s
unworthiness or incompetency.
4
alleged and sufficient facts were pled to appraise the plaintiff
of the case against him to intelligently prepare his defense.
The Board observes several distinctions between Rasky and
the present situation.
Rasky involved the sufficiency of the
complaint, whereas the matter presently before the Board
involves the adequacy of the pre-enforcement notice required by
Section 31(d).
While the Board recognizes a relationship between
the sufficiency of a complaint and the adequacy of the Section
31(d)
notice requirements, the Board also notes a distinction
between the purposes of the complaint and the notice.
The notice
requirements of Section 31(d)
are intended to place the
respondent on notice of possible violations, and the intent of
complainant to file a formal complaint, and to allow a meeting
between the parties to discuss the alleged violations.
The
complaint is the initial action in a formal proceeding and places
the respondent on notice of the alleged violations to which the
respondent needs to prepare a defense.
In addition, the
municipal codes which were not alleged in the complaint in Rasky
were ancillary to the provisions of the statute for which a
violation was alleged.
The Board believes that it is incorrect to review the
sufficiency of the Section 31(d) notice against the requirements
of a complaint under the Administrative Procedures Act or rules
of civil procedure.
The sufficiency of the Section 31(d) notice
can be adjudged based on the requirements found in Section 31(d)
of the Act.
The Board finds that to fulfill the purpose of
Section 31(d), the pre—enforcement notice must be specific enough
to inform the recipient of the alleged violations.
The Board
finds that the pre-enforcement notices received by Clark did not
properly inform Clark concerning a possible violation of Section
9(b)
as alleged in paragraph 18 of Count V.
Pursuant to Section 31(d)
of the Act, the violations alleged
in the notice must be sufficiently specific to inform the
recipient,
in this case Clark, that the Agency intends to file a
formal complaint concerning those violations and offer the
recipient an opportunity to meet with the appropriate personnel
at the Agency in an effort to resolve the conflict.
First none
of the Section 31(d)
notices sent to Clark contained an
allegation that Clark was operating its WWTP without an air
operating permit.
The Board finds that the violation noticed by
the Agency in its April
26,
1994 Enforcement Notice Letter that
Clark was causing air pollution due to excess VOM emission from
its WWTP does not suffice.
The relevant statutory section cited
therein was to Section 9(a)
of the Act.
Clark certainly is not
informed by this notice that it was allegedly operating without
an air permit
in
violation of Section 9(b) of the Act.
Second, none of the Section 31(d)
notices sent to Clark
contained an allegation that Clark failed to have an NPDES
5
permit.
For the same reasons as stated above concerning the
failure to have an air permit, noticing alleged surface water
violations does not provide notice to Clark of an alleged failure
to have a water discharge permit.
Therefore, paragraphs 13 and
22 of Count X remain stricken.
Finally, concerning Count XIII, no notice was given to
respondent concerning alleged violation of 35 Ill. Adm. Code
302.203 in any notice letter.
Therefore,
Count XIII remains
stricken in its entirety.
Citation to the Act absent any
citation to the Board’s rules or the facts informing the
respondent concerning an alleged oil sheen is not sufficient to
satisfy Section 31(d).
Notice of 21(f)
instead of 21(i)
The complaint against Clark alleges violation of both
Section 21(f) (2) and Section 21(1)
of the Act, but only Section
21(1) was cited in a Section 31(d) Notice.
Complainant argues
that paragraph 10 of Count IX as it relates to a violation of
Section 21(f) (2)
of the Act should not be stricken because notice
of an alleged violation of Section 21(i)
was given and there is
no practical difference between the two statutory sections for
the purposes of a Section 31(d)
notice.
Citing to Peo~1ev.
Escast (July 30,
1992), PCB 92-67, complainant argues that
therein the Board “found” that there was no practical difference
between citing Section 21(f) (2) and Section 21(i)
for the purpose
of a Section 31(d) notice.
Though the Board’s statement in Escast was in the dicta of
the case, both sections relate to the prohibition against
violating the hazardous waste regulatior~of the Board, and are
thus very non-specific.
The 31(d) notice and the complaint cite
to the regulations affected, and the statutory provisions giving
rise to those regulations may be several.
Clark should be on
notice that a general prohibition may be included in the specific
charge.
References to Section 21(f) (2) of the Act are restored.
Alle~edlvcontinuing violations statutory
Complainant contends that the violations alleged in
paragraphs 21 through 25 and the related portions of paragraph 26
of Count XI should not be stricken since respondent was notified
of alleged violations from similar releases.
Complainant
maintains that these sections of the complaint merely address
additional releases which occurred contemporaneously with service
of the Section 31(d)
notice and the subsequent meeting.
Complainant claims that including the subsequent releases in this
complaint is no different from including claims or continuing
exceedences of air emission limits or water discharge limits, or
operating without a permit,
all of which may continue to occur
after a Section 31(d) notice has been issued.
6
The Board is not persuaded by this analogy.
The violations
alleged in paragraphs
21 through 25 of Count XI concern a
discharge on October 10, 1994 of gasoline from a pipeline within
the facility and a spill of diesel fuel from a diesel pipeline on
October 28,
1995.
The other alleged violations
in Count XI
pertain to incidents on different dates concerning different
materials and equipment.
The Board finds a distinction between
continuing or patterned air or water exceedences and the alleged
releases in the complaint.
The former represent a continuin
or
reoccurring violation based on the same factual situation, w
le
the releases alleged in the complaint involve factual situat
)ns
with different locations and different materials.
It is sim
by
not a matter of just different dates and otherwise identical
facts underlying the alleged releases.
The argument advanced by the complainant would permit the
filing of a complaint containing allegations based on incidents
that were not specified in any 31(d)
notice.
Complainant asserts
that having once notified respondent that a specific incident
represents a possible violation,
respondent is on notice that
similar incidents may also be included in a formal complaint
without any additional notice.
Under complainant’s argument the
respondent is not afforded an opportunity to meet with the
complainant to address the specifics of the incidents that have
occurred after the initial Section 31(d)
notice
is issued.
Accordingly, the Board finds that the Section 31(d) notice in
these instances does not correspond to the allegations contained
in the complaint and therefore those allegations should remain
stricken from the complaint.
Filing of an additional Section
31(d)
notice
Complainant reports that an additional Section 31(d) notice
including violations alleged in paragraphs 13 and 22 of Count
X,
paragraphs 21 through 25 and 26 of Count XI and Count XII has
been issued.
That notice is dated September 22,
1995 and, there
is also a clarification of the notice
dated September
28,
1995.
(Exh.
2 of Agency Response.)
Complainant claims that the
additional Section 31(d)
notice moots respondent’s challenges and
therefore these allegations should not be stricken.
The Board finds that the filing of an additional Section
31(d) notice issued after the filing of the complaint does not
moot the respondent’s challenges to the complaint.
Section 31(d)
clearly states that “prior to issuance and service of a written
notice and fbrmal complaint,
the Agency shall issue” a written
notice.
To allow the Agency to issue such written notice after
the complaint has been filed would abrogate the purpose of
Section 31(d) which is, again,
to inform the person or the
charges alleged and to provide an opportunity for the respondent
to meet with the complainant to discuss the alleged violations.
Therefore,
the filing of the requisite Section 31(d)
notice after
7
the filing of the complaint does not satisfy the requirements of
Section 31(d).2
The notice required by Section 31(d)
is to be
filed prior to the filing of the formal complaint to inform
respondent of the Agency’s intent to file a formal complaint,
to
place the respondent on notice of the alleged violations and to
provide an opportunity tor the respondent to meet with the
complainant to discuss the alleged violations.
Therefore,
the
filing of the requisite Section 31(d)
notice after the filling of
the complaint does not satisfy the requirements of Section 31(d).
SUMMARY
Upon reconsideration, the Board finds that complainant has
presented sufficient cause for the Board to modify its order of
September 7,
1995.
The Board restates the portion of its
previous order striking specific provisions from the complaint.
The Board strikes the following paragraphs from the
complaint as the Agency did not provide notice of these
allegations to Clark as required by Section 31(d):
b.
Paragraph
12 of Count V as it relates to the
alleged violation of Section
9(b)
of the Act.
d.
Paragraphs 13 and 22 of Count X as it relates
to the alleged violation of Section 12(f)
of
the Act.
e.
Paragraph 21 through 25 of Count XI which
allege that the discharge of gasoline on
October 10,
1994 and the spill of diesel fuel
on October 28,
1994.
Paragraph
26
of Count
XI as it relates to the alleged violation of
Section 12(a)
and
(d) to the incidents
alleged in Paragraphs 21 through 25.
f.
Count XIII in its entirety.
2The Board notes that in People v. James Lee Watts
(November
3,
1995), PCB 94-127, the Board allowed the filing of an amended
complaint to correct alleged notice deficiencies after
a new
31(d) notice was filed and a meeting was held between the
parties.
The Board observes that in Watts, the respondents did
not object to the filing of the amended complaint.
Also the
Board recognizes that the complainant in this matter has not
filed an amended complaint,
so the issue of whether Section 31(d)
deficiencies can be cured by the filing of an amended complaint
is not at issue in this matter.
8
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Board
Member
N.
McFawn
dissented.
Board Member J.
Yi concurred.
I,
Dorothy
14.
GUnfl,
Cleric
of
the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certify t
,~1Z-’
day of
above,
order was adopted on the
___________
_____________
1995,
by a vote of
ti
unn,
Clerk
Illinois ~1lution
Control Board