ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
October
4,
1973
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION,
)
Petitioner,
vs.
)
PCB 73—416
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
Respondent.
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr. Henss)
Petitioner requests “blanket variance for burning of
landscape waste generated by the Illinois Department of
Transportation”.
The petition states that “most if not all”
of Petitioner’s wastes could legally be burned without a
variance or permit.
Therefore,
a blanket variance is requested
for the burning of landscape waste generated during construction
and maintenance phases of transportation projects.
No further
facts are given.
To the extent that a variance is not needed, the matter
is moot.
However,
if the Statute and Regulations would prevent open
burning in some cases,
as seems indicated,
then the Department
of Transportation is certainly within its rights in applying
for a variance.
The Statute clearly states that variances may
be granted “upon presentation of adequate proof, that compliance
with any Rule or Regulation.
.
.would impose an arbitrary or
unreasonable hardship”.
(Environmental Protection Act, Section
35)
Clearly, no “blanket” variance could be given.
Our Procedural
Rule 401 states that a variance petition shall include a
description of the activity in question, the quantity and type
of materials processed,
an estimate of the quantity and type of
contaminants discharged, description of existing and proposed
equipment for the control of discharges, statement of why Petitioner
believes compliance with the Regulation would impose an arbitrary
or unreasonable hardship,
description of costs of compliance, and
description of injury that grant of the variance would impose upon
the public.
9—
425
—2—
Petitioner makes no attempt to give information which
would satisfy the Statute or the Regulations.
Even the location
of the burning
is omitted.
The petition is therefore inadequate
and will be dismissed without prejudice.
It
is the order of the Board that the variance petition be
dismissed without prejudice.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certify the above Opinon and Order of the Board
was adopted this
4/’I~~
day of
___________,
1973 by a vote of
_____toO
QI.~
9— 426