ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
November
2,
1989
GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION,
Petitioner,
v.
)
PCB 88—193
(Variance)
ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY,
)
Respondent.
ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by J. Marlin):
Hearing in this variance action
is presently scheduled for
November
8, 1989.
On October
23,
1989,
the Agency moved
for an
extension of time in which to file its Recommendation through
November
3,
1989, asserting the need
for time
in which to analyze
modeling data which it received from petitioner via telefax on
October
19.
On October 27, General Motors
filed a motion
for continuance
of the hearing, asserting that to hold a hearing without benefit
of the Agency’s Recommendation does not serve the public
interest.
GM further asserts
that it has requested variance to
allow it time to study its non—complying cupola emissions for the
purpose of bringing them into compliance,
and that the current
status of its discussions with the Agency
is that the Agency
wishes GM to perform additional preliminary studies.
GM further
states that given these circumstances,
it also seeks a
continuance to allow
it time to decide whether
to dismiss this
proceeding and to pursue regulatory
relief.
While GM’s motion was directed to the Hearing Officer,
the
Hearing Officer referred
it
to the Board by letter
of November
1.
The Agency’s motion for leave to file its Recommendation on
or before November
3
is granted.
The Board notes
that this gives
GM two business days
in which to analyze the data prior to the
scheduled November
8 hearing.
The Board further notes that
hearing has already been cancelled once while the parties were
exchanging information.
While the Board does not favor
the
cancellation of scheduled hearings,
under
these circumstances the
Board will grant GM’s motion
in the interests of avoiding
unnecessary hearings.
It would appear likely that hearing may
not be completed on November
8 if begun that day, given the
shortness of time available for GM to formulate and prepare any
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—2—
response to the Agency’s Recommendation,
resulting in two hearing
days.
Additionally,
no hearing may be necessary in this matter
if GM chooses to dismiss its petition.
This
is, however, the
last continuance which the Board will allow
in this case.
The
Hearing Officer
is directed to expeditiously reschedule hearing
in this matter.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Board Members
B.
Forcade and J.T. Meyer dissented.
I,
Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certify that
the above Order was adopted on
the
.~‘‘~‘
day of
~
,
1989, by a vote
of
~—Z~
Dorothy M7~Gunn,Clerk
Illinois Pollution Control Board
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