ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
December 20,
1990
PEOPLE OF THE STATE
)
OF ILLINOIS,
)
Complainant,
)
V.
)
PCB 90—127
)
(Enforcement)
WESTVACO CORPORATION,
a Delaware 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
respondent’s noncompliance was economically beneficial in that it
operated its unpermitted equipment from December 1988 to December
1989 without the delay of applying to and waiting for the Agency
to
issue permits,
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
$1,600 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—89
2
For these reasons,
I dissent.
J. theodor~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 M//Gunn,
lerk
Illinois ~llution
Control Board
117—90