BEFORE THE ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
WASTE MANAGEMENT OF
ILLINOIS, INC.,
Petitioner,
v.
COUNTY BOARD OF KANKAKEE
COUNTY, ILLINOIS,
Respondent.
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PCB 04-186
(pollution Control Facility Siting Appeal)
NOTICE OF FILING
TO:
See Attached Service List
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that
on March 5, 2008, the undersigned electronically filed
with the Clerk
of the Illinois Pollution Control Board WASTE MANAGEMENT OF
ILLINOIS, INC.'S MOTION TO RECONSIDER in the above entitled matter, a copy of
which is attached hereto.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
OF ILLINOIS, INC.
By:
lsi Donald
J.
Moran
One of Its Attorneys
Donald
1. Moran
Lauren Blair
PEDERSEN
& HOUPT
161 North Clark Street, Suite 3100
Chicago, Illinois 60601
(312) 641-6888
Attorney Registration No. 1953923
474854.1
Electronic Filing - Received, Clerk's Office, March 5, 2008
BEFORE THE ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
WASTE MANAGEMENT OF
ILLINOIS, INC.,
Petitioner,
v.
COUNTY BOARD OF KANKAKEE
COUNTY, ILLINOIS,
Respondent.
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PCB 04-186
(pollution Control Facility Siting Appeal)
WASTE MANAGEMENT OF ILLINOIS, INC.'S MOTION TO RECONSIDER
Petitioner, Waste Management of Illinois, Inc. ("WMII"), by its attorneys, Pedersen
&
Houpt, and pursuant to Sections 101.520 and 101.902 of the lllinois Pollution Control Board
("Board") Procedural Rules ("Rules"), moves the Board to reconsider and reverse its January 24,
2008 Opinion and Order ("Opinion") affirming the decision to deny WMII's Site Location
Application ("Application").
In
support thereof, WMII states as follows:
1.
On January 24,2008, the Board affinned the decision of the Kankakee County
Board ("County") denying WMIl's Application on the grounds,
inter alia,
that criteria (i), (iii)
and (vi) of Section 39.2(a) ofthe Illinois Environmental Protection Act ("Act"), 415 ILCS
5/39.2(a) (2000), were not met.
2.
In
the Opinion, the Board identified its standard of review ofthe County's
decision as follows:
The Board will not disturb a local siting authority's decision regarding the
applicant's compliance with the statutory siting criteria unless the decision
is contrary to the manifest weight
of the evidence.
See Concerned
Adjoining Owners,
288 Ill. App. 3d at 576, 680 N.E.2d at 818;
see also
Land
and Lakes,
319 Ill. App. 3d at 53, 743 N.E.2d at 197. 'Thata
different conclusion may be reasonable is insufficient; the opposite
474630vl
Electronic Filing - Received, Clerk's Office, March 5, 2008
conclusion must be clearly evident, plain or indisputable.'
Concerned
Adjoining Owners,
288 Ill. App. 3d at 576, 680 N.E.2d at 818,
quoting
Turlek
v.
PCB,
274 Ill. App. 3d 244, 249, 653 N.E.2d 1288, 1292 (1st
Dist. 1995). The Board may not reweigh the evidence on the siting
criteria to substitute its judgment for that
of the local siting authority.
See
Fairview Area Citizens Taskforce
v.
PCB,
198 Ill. App. 3d 541,550,555
N.E.2d 1178, 1184 (3d Dist. 1990);
Waste Management ofIllinois, Inc.
v.
PCB,
187 Ill. App. 3d 79,81-82,543 N.E.2d 505,507 (2d Dist. 1989);
Tate
v.
PCB,
188 Ill. App. 3d 994, 1022,544 N.E.2d 1176, 1195 (4th Dist.
1989).
Waste Management
ofIllinois, Inc.
v.
County Board ofKankakee
County, PCB 04-186, slip op.
at
p. 25 (January 24,2008).
3.
Applying the manifest weight of the evidence standard, the Board affirmed the
County's decision on criteria (i), (iii) and (vi), without applying any
of its technical expertise in
examining the record to determine
if there is relevant evidence to support the denial.
Id.,
slip op.
at pp. 49, 50, 51.
4.
In accordance with the recent Illinois Supreme Court case of
Town
&
Country
Utilities, Inc.
v.
Illinois Pollution Control Board,
225 Ill. 2d 103, 866 N.E.2d 227 (2007), the
proper standard
ofreview is not the manifest weight of the evidence standard, but rather one that
requires a higher level
of scrutiny to determine if there is competent evidence in the record that
supports the local siting authority's decision.
5.
In
Town
&
Country,
the Illinois Supreme Court stated that:
section 40.1 (b) grants the Board an important role in the permit process.
Section 40.1 requires the Board'stechnically qualified members to
conduct a "hearing," which shall include the procedures outlined in
sections 32 and 33
ofthe Act. 415 ILCS 5/40.1 (West 2002),
citing 415
ILCS 5/32, 33(a) (West 2002). These sections require the Board
to make
factual and legal determinations on evidence. While the Board may not
receive new or additional evidence, the statute still provides that the
petitioner has the "burden
of proof." 415 ILCS 5/40.1(a), (b) (West 2002).
Id.,
225
m.
2d at 120, 866 N.E.2d at 237.
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Electronic Filing - Received, Clerk's Office, March 5, 2008
6.
The Illinois Supreme Court further stated that: "The fact that the Board
undertakes consideration of the record prepared by the local siting authority rather than preparing
its own record does not render the Board'stechnical expertise irrelevant. Instead,
the Board
applies that technical expertise in examining the record to determine whether the record
supported the local authority's conclusions." Id.,
225 Ill. 2d at 123,866 N.E.2d at 238.
(Emphasis added.)
7.
Thus, in light of
Town
&
Country,
the proper standard to be used by the Board on
review is not whether the opposite conclusion is clearly plain and evident
(i.e.,
manifest weight
review), but whether, after applying eth Board'stechnical scrutiny to the record, it contains
reliable and accurate evidence to support the local authority's decision.
See Id.,
225 Ill. 2d at
124,866 N.E.2d at 239. In this case, the Board did not apply the standard
of review articulated
in
Town
&
Country
in
reviewing the denial of criteria (i), (iii) and (vi).
8.
A motion to reconsider is proper where it seeks to bring to the Board's attention
clear errors
in
the Board's application of the law.
See Korogluyan v. Chicago Title
&
Trust Co.,
213 Ill. App. 3d 622,627,572 N.E.2d 1154, 1158 (1st Dist. 1992). This Motion asks the Board
to reconsider its decision and apply the correct legal standard ofreview as set forth in
Town
&
Country.
9.
Applying the correct standard of review, the Board should determine that the
record lacks any reliable or accurate evidence to support the County's denial of criteria (i), (iii)
and (vi).
474630vl
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Electronic Filing - Received, Clerk's Office, March 5, 2008
WHEREFORE, Petitioner, WASTE MANAGEMENT OF ILLINOIS, INC., respectfully
requests that the Board:
A.
Reconsider its January
24,2008 ruling that the Application did not satisfy criteria
(i), (iii) and (vi)
of Section 39.2(a) of the Act;
B.
Apply the proper standard
of review and determine that the record does not
contain evidence sufficient to support the denial
of criteria (i), (iii) and (vi);
C.
Reverse the County's denial
of the Application; and
D.
Grant such other and further
relief as it deems appropriate.
Respectfully Submitted,
WASTE MANAGEMENT OF ILLINOIS, INC.
By:
/s/ Donald J. Moran
One of Its Attorneys
Donald
J. Moran
Lauren Blair
Pedersen
&
Houpt, P.C.
161 North Clark Street, Suite 3100
Chicago, Illinois 60601
(312) 641-6888
474630vl
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Electronic Filing - Received, Clerk's Office, March 5, 2008
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I, Donald J. Moran, an attorney, on oath certify that I caused to be served the foregoing,
WASTE MANAGEMENT OF ILLINOIS, INC.'S MOTION
TO RECONSIDER, upon the
following:
Mr. Charles Helsten
Hinshaw
&
Culbertson
P.O. Box 1389
Rockford,
IL
61105-1389
chelsten@hinshawlaw.com
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
Mr. Jamie Boyd
Kankakee County State'sAttorney
450 East Court Street
Kankakee,
IL
60901
VIA REGULAR FIRST CLASS U.S. MAIL
Bradley Halloran
Hearing Officer
Illinois Pollution Control Board
100 West Randolph Street
Suite 11-500
Chicago,
IL
60601
VIA REGULAR FIRST CLASS U.S. MAIL
via electronic mail or by depositing a copy thereof, enclosed in an envelope at
161 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60601 with proper postage pre-paid as addressed above before 5:00 p.m. on this 5th
day of March, 2008.
/s/
Donald J. Moran
Donald J. Moran
474854.1
Electronic Filing - Received, Clerk's Office, March 5, 2008