ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
December 4, 2008
INTERMART, INC.,
Petitioner,
v.
ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY,
Respondent.
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PCB 09-34
(UST Appeal)
ORDER OF THE BOARD (by G.T. Girard):
On November 24, 2008, Intermart, Inc. (petitioner) timely filed a petition asking the
Board to review an October 20, 2008 determination of the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency (Agency).
See
415 ILCS 5/40(a)(1) (2006); 35 Ill. Adm. Code 105.402. The Agency’s
determination concerns petitioner’s underground storage tank (UST) site located at 24 South
Lincolnway in North Aurora, Kane County. For reasons below, the Board accepts petitioner’s
petition for hearing.
Under the Environmental Protection Act (Act) (415 ILCS 5 (2006)), the Agency decides
whether to approve proposed cleanup plans and budgets for leaking UST sites, as well as
requests for cleanup cost reimbursement from the State’s UST Fund, which consists of UST fees
and motor fuel taxes. If the Agency disapproves or modifies a submittal, the UST owner or
operator may appeal the decision to the Board.
See
415 ILCS 5/40(a)(1), 57-57.17 (2006); 35 Ill.
Adm. Code 105.Subpart D. In this case, the Agency rejected petitioner’s High Priority
Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and associated budget for the North Aurora UST site. Petitioner
appeals on the grounds that its proposed CAP and budget meet the requirements of the Act and
regulations and therefore the Agency erred in issuing the rejection. Petitioner’s petition meets
the content requirements of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 105.408.
The Board accepts the petition for hearing. Petitioner has the burden of proof.
See
35 Ill.
Adm. Code 105.112(a). Hearings will be based exclusively on the record before the Agency at
the time the Agency issued its determination.
See
35 Ill. Adm. Code 105.412. Accordingly,
though the Board hearing affords petitioner the opportunity to challenge the Agency’s reasons
for its decision, information developed after the Agency’s decision typically is not admitted at
hearing or considered by the Board.
See
Alton Packaging Corp. v. PCB
, 162 Ill. App. 3d 731,
738, 516 N.E.2d 275, 280 (5th Dist. 1987); Community Landfill Co. & City of Morris v. IEPA,
PCB 01-170 (Dec. 6, 2001),
aff’d sub nom.
Community Landfill Co. & City of Morris v. PCB &
IEPA, 331 Ill. App. 3d 1056, 772 N.E.2d 231 (3rd Dist. 2002).
Hearings will be scheduled and completed in a timely manner, consistent with the
decision deadline (
see
415 ILCS 5/40(a)(2) (2006)), which only petitioner may extend by waiver
2
(
see
35 Ill. Adm. Code 101.308). If the Board fails to take final action by the decision deadline,
petitioner may deem its request granted.
See
415 ILCS 5/40(a)(2) (2006). Currently, the
decision deadline is March 24, 2009, which is the 120th day after the date on which the Board
received the petition.
See
35 Ill. Adm. Code 105.114. The Board meeting immediately before
the decision deadline is scheduled for March 19, 2009.
Unless the Board or the hearing officer orders otherwise, the Agency must file the entire
record of its determination by December 24, 2009, which is the 30th day after the date on which
Board received the petition.
See
35 Ill. Adm. Code 105.410(a). If the Agency wishes to seek
additional time to file the record, it must file a request for extension before the date on which the
record is due to be filed.
See
35 Ill. Adm. Code 105.116. The record must comply with the
content requirements of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 105.410(b).
IT IS SO ORDERED.
I, John Therriault, Assistant Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control Board, certify that the
Board adopted the above order on December 4, 2008, by a vote of 5-0.
___________________________________
John Therriault, Assistant Clerk
Illinois Pollution Control Board