ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
October
4,
1973
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
Complainant,
vs.
)
PCB 73—150
BRESLER ICE CREAM COMPANY,
)
Respondent.
ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr. Seaman):
On September 24,
1973, Respondent, Bresler Ice
Cream Company, filed its Motion For Reconsideration
of this Board’s Opinion and Order adopted on
September 13,
1973,
in the above—captioned cause.
Respondent prays that the Board, upon reconsideration,
modify Paragraph
3 of its Order with respect to the
assessment of monetary penalty or, alternatively, with
respect to the amount of penalty assessed.
This cause came before the Board with a Complaint
and a Stipulation of Facts entered into between the
respective parties.
It was upon consideration of these
two documents that our disposition of the cause was
reached.
In Paragraph
1.
of the subject Motion, Respondent
states that the only facts which the Board may properly
consider were those submitted by Stipulation.
Here,
we agree;
this
is precisely what we did.
Further,
in Paragraph
1, Respondent complains of the fourth
paragraph of Page
2 of our Opinion which
is as fol1ows~
Respondent stresses,
in mitigation,
that it
unilaterally terminated the use of the subject
incinerator prior to the date of the Agency
complaint
(R.6).
This fact would carry more
weight if Respondent had not waited approximately
three years to take remedial action.
Further,
it would have been well for Respondent to
have introduced evidence regarding the amount
of money expended, rather than content itself
with the bare stipulation that sums were expended.
9— 399
—2—
Respondent argues as follows:
In the fourth paragraph of Page
2 of the
opinion, the Board suggests that respondent
ought to have introduced evidence in
addition to the Stipulation.
On the other
hand,
the Board imposes no equivalent burden
on the complainant with respect to the
facts adduced by it.
Respondent has misinterpreted the thrust of
our comment.
We merely suggested that Respondent
might have been wise to include in the Stipulation
the specific amount of the sums expended in order
that this Board might have considered same in mitigation.
In Paragraph
3.
of the subject Motion,
Respondent
details alleged inaccuracies occurring in the Complaint.
We are of the opinion that any defects
in the allegations
of the Complaint were cured by the Stipulation.
Further,
it cannot be seriously suggested that the Agency cannot
file an enforcement action merely because the violation
complained of has ceased.
Paragraph 10.
of the Stipulation
is as follows:
10.
The emission of said contaminants
constituted air pollution as defined in
Section
3
(b)
of the Environmental
Protection Act,
Ill.
Rev.
Stat., Ch. 111
1/2 §1003
(b)
,
1971,
in that the contaminants
caused by said incinerator which existed
in the atmosphere were in sufficient
quantities and of such characteristics
and duration as to unreasonably interfere
with the enjoyment of
life or property of
those persons making complaints.
Of Paragraph 10., the Board,
in its Opinion stated
as follows:
By paragraph
10.
of the Stipulation, Respondent
admits that the emission of contaminants
from the subject incinerator constituted
air pollution as defined in Section
3
(b)
of the Environmental Protection Act.
The
said contaminants were emitted in sufficient
quantities and were of such characteristics
and duration as to unreasonably interfere
with the enjoyment of life or property.
9— 400
—3—
Respondent quarrels with our use of the term
“admits.”
It
is argued that
the
language of Paragraph
10.
of the Stipulation presents only stipulated fact
and not conclusions of
law.
Irrespective of the
verbiage employed,
the only construction of Paragraph
10. which occurs to this Board
is that Respondent has
stipulated that in fact
it
has caused air pollution.
Respondent has presented numerous other arguments
in support of its Motion.
Suffice
to state that upon
due consideration this Board finds no legal merit
therein and remains convinced that Respondent has
committed violations.
The only issue remaining is that of the amount
of the penalty, which Respondent argues is excessive.
This Board assesses penalties only after thorough
consideration of all of the circumstances surrounding
the violation in each individual cause.
The
amount
assessed in our Order will not be modified; however,
we hereby amend the date by which the penalty must be
paid.
Respondent may withhold payment of the amount
assessed until December 10,
1973.
IT
IS
SO ORDERED.
Mr. Odell abstained.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois
Pollution Control Board, certify that the above
Order
as adopted by the Board on the
~44’~
day
of
______________,
1973 by
a vote of
‘~
to ~
Q-~
9—401