ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
August 7, 2003
LOWE TRANSFER, INC. and MARSHALL
LOWE,
Petitioners,
v.
COUNTY BOARD OF MCHENRY
COUNTY, ILLINOIS,
Respondent.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
PCB 03-221
(Pollution Control Facility
Siting Appeal)
ORDER OF THE BOARD (by G.T. Girard):
The Board has pending two motions and responses in this case. First on July 28, 2003,
the Village of Cary (Cary) filed a motion appealing determinations of the hearing officer (Cary’s
Motion) in this proceeding. Also on July 28, 2003, petitioners filed a motion
in limine
. On
August 4, 2003, Cary filed a response to the motion
in limine
and on August 6, 2003, the County
Board of McHenry County, Illinois (McHenry County) filed a response to the motion
in limine
.
On August 5, 2003, petitioners filed a motion to strike the response filed by Cary and a request
for sanctions against Cary. On August 7, 2003, Cary filed a response to the motion to strike and
request for sanctions. For the reasons discussed below the Board grants the petitioners’ motion
to strike, but denies petitioners’ motion for sanctions. In addition, the Board strikes Cary’s
Motion and the response to the motion to strike and request for sanctions. Finally, the Board
denies the petitioners’ motion
in limine
, in part.
This proceeding was initiated on June 5, 2003, when petitioners timely filed a petition
asking the Board to review a May 6, 2003 decision of McHenry County.
See
415 ILCS 5/40.1(a)
(2002); 35 Ill. Adm. Code 107.204. McHenry County denied petitioners’ application to site a
pollution control facility located on U.S. Route 14 in McHenry County. On June 19, 2003, Cary
filed a motion to intervene in the siting appeal. On July 10, 2003, Board denied the motion to
intervene because the Environmental Protection Act (Act) and Board’s rules do not authorize
party status for Cary (
see
415 ILCS 5/40.1 (2002) and 35 Ill. Adm. Code 107.200). However,
the Board allowed Cary to file an
amicus curiae
brief.
In Cary’s Motion, Cary asks that the Board reverse the hearing officer’s determinations
regarding: participation in or auditing of status conferences, the public comment period and the
withdrawal of the record. Mot. at 6. Cary also responded to petitioners’ motion
in limine
.
Petitioners do not specifically ask to strike Cary’s July 28, 2003 motion appealing hearing officer
determinations, but petitioners do ask that Cary’s response to the motion
in limine
be stricken.
The Board previously ruled on June 19, 2003, that the Act does not allow Cary to be a party to
this proceeding.
See
415 ILCS 5/40.1 (2002). The Board’s rules specify that only a party may
file a motion or a response.
See
35 Ill. Adm. Code 101.500(a) and (d). Therefore, the Board
2
strikes Cary’s Motion, Cary’s response to the motion to strike and request for sanctions, and the
response filed by Cary to the motion
in limine
. The Board denies petitioners’ motion for
sanctions.
In the motion
in limine
, petitioners seek to restrict the scope of the hearing in this matter
by either precluding oral statements on the record or by limiting the time allowed for statements.
motion
in limine
at 4. Further, petitioners ask that all statements be limited to the record
generated by McHenry County.
Id
. In response to the motion
in limine
, McHenry County urges
the Board to deny the motion
in limine
because the Board’s rules encourage public participation.
The Board will deny petitioners’ motion
in limine
in part. However, the Board will grant
the motion
in limine
to the extent that petitioners seek
to limit the time allowed for oral
statements. The Board’s rules clearly allow oral statements “when
time
, facilities, and concerns
for a clear and concise hearing record so allow.” 35 Ill. Adm. Code 101.628(a). To ensure that
the hearing can be completed with a clear and concise record, the hearing officer may limit the
time allowed for oral statements consistent with the provisions of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 101.628(a).
IT IS SO ORDERED.
I, Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control Board, certify that the Board
adopted the above order on August 7, 2003, by a vote of 7-0.
Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk
Illinois Pollution Control Board