State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_SB0846

 
                                               LRB9103740ACtm

 1        AN ACT to  amend  the  Environmental  Protection  Act  by
 2    changing Section 42.

 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:

 5        Section 5.  The Environmental Protection Act  is  amended
 6    by changing Section 42 as follows:

 7        (415 ILCS 5/42) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1042)
 8        Sec. 42. Civil penalties.
 9        (a)  Except  as provided in this Section, any person that
10    violates any provision of this Act or any regulation  adopted
11    by  the Board, or any permit or term or condition thereof, or
12    that  violates  any  determination  or  order  of  the  Board
13    pursuant to this Act, shall be liable to a civil  penalty  of
14    not  to  exceed  $50,000  for the violation and an additional
15    civil penalty of not to exceed $10,000 for  each  day  during
16    which the violation continues; such penalties may, upon order
17    of  the  Board  or a court of competent jurisdiction, be made
18    payable to the Environmental Protection  Trust  Fund,  to  be
19    used  in  accordance with the provisions of the Environmental
20    Protection Trust Fund Act.
21        (b)  Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a)  of
22    this Section:
23             (1)  Any  person that violates Section 12(f) of this
24        Act or any NPDES permit or term or condition thereof,  or
25        any  filing  requirement, regulation or order relating to
26        the NPDES permit program, shall  be  liable  to  a  civil
27        penalty of not to exceed $10,000 per day of violation.
28             (2)  Any  person that violates Section 12(g) of this
29        Act or any UIC permit or term or  condition  thereof,  or
30        any  filing  requirement, regulation or order relating to
31        the State UIC program for  all  wells,  except  Class  II
 
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 1        wells  as  defined  by the Board under this Act, shall be
 2        liable to a civil penalty not to exceed $2,500 per day of
 3        violation; provided, however, that any person who commits
 4        such violations relating to the  State  UIC  program  for
 5        Class  II  wells, as defined by the Board under this Act,
 6        shall be liable to a  civil  penalty  of  not  to  exceed
 7        $10,000 for the violation and an additional civil penalty
 8        of  not  to  exceed  $1,000 for each day during which the
 9        violation continues.
10             (3)  Any person that violates Sections 21(f), 21(g),
11        21(h) or 21(i) of this Act, or any RCRA permit or term or
12        condition thereof, or any filing requirement,  regulation
13        or  order  relating  to  the State RCRA program, shall be
14        liable to a civil penalty of not to  exceed  $25,000  per
15        day of violation.
16             (4)  In  an  administrative  citation  action  under
17        Section  31.1  of  this  Act,  any  person  found to have
18        violated any  provision  of  subsection  (o)  or  (p)  of
19        Section  21 of this Act shall pay a civil penalty of $500
20        for each violation  of  each  such  provision,  plus  any
21        hearing costs incurred by the Board and the Agency.  Such
22        penalties  shall  be  made  payable  to the Environmental
23        Protection Trust Fund, to be used in accordance with  the
24        provisions  of  the  Environmental  Protection Trust Fund
25        Act; except that if a unit of local government issued the
26        administrative citation, 50% of the civil  penalty  shall
27        be payable to the unit of local government.
28             (4-5)  In  an  administrative  citation action under
29        Section 31.1 of  this  Act,  any  person  found  to  have
30        violated any provision of subsection (p) of Section 21 of
31        this  Act shall pay a civil penalty of $1,500 for a first
32        offense and $3,000 for a second  or  subsequent  offense,
33        plus  any  hearing  costs  incurred  by the Board and the
34        Agency.   The  penalties  shall  be  deposited  into  the
 
                            -3-                LRB9103740ACtm
 1        Environmental  Protection  Trust  Fund,  to  be  used  in
 2        accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  Environmental
 3        Protection Trust Fund Act; except that if a unit of local
 4        government issued the administrative citation, 50% of the
 5        civil penalty shall be  payable  to  the  unit  of  local
 6        government.
 7             (5)  Any person who violates subsection 6 of Section
 8        39.5  of  this  Act  or  any  CAAPP  permit,  or  term or
 9        condition thereof, or any fee or filing  requirement,  or
10        any  duty  to  allow  or  carry  out inspection, entry or
11        monitoring  activities,  or  any  regulation   or   order
12        relating to the CAAPP shall be liable for a civil penalty
13        not to exceed $10,000 per day of violation.
14        (b.5)  In  lieu of the penalties set forth in subsections
15    (a) and (b) of this Section, any person who fails to file, in
16    a timely manner, toxic chemical release forms with the Agency
17    pursuant to Section 25b-2 of this Act shall be liable  for  a
18    civil  penalty  of  $100  per  day for each day the forms are
19    late, not to exceed a maximum total penalty of  $6,000.  This
20    daily  penalty  shall  begin accruing on the thirty-first day
21    after the date that the person receives  the  warning  notice
22    issued  by  the Agency pursuant to Section 25b-6 of this Act;
23    and the penalty shall  be  paid  to  the  Agency.  The  daily
24    accrual  of  penalties  shall  cease  as  of January 1 of the
25    following  year.  All  penalties  collected  by  the   Agency
26    pursuant  to  this  subsection  shall  be  deposited into the
27    Environmental Protection Permit and Inspection Fund.
28        (c)  Any person that violates this Act, or  an  order  or
29    other  determination  of  the Board under this Act and causes
30    the death of fish or aquatic life shall, in addition  to  the
31    other penalties provided by this Act, be liable to pay to the
32    State  an additional sum for the reasonable value of the fish
33    or aquatic life destroyed. Any money so  recovered  shall  be
34    placed in the Wildlife and Fish Fund in the State Treasury.
 
                            -4-                LRB9103740ACtm
 1        (d)  The  penalties  provided  for in this Section may be
 2    recovered in a civil action.
 3        (e)  The State's Attorney of  the  county  in  which  the
 4    violation  occurred,  or  the  Attorney  General, may, at the
 5    request of the Agency or on his own motion, institute a civil
 6    action for an injunction to restrain violations of this Act.
 7        (f)  The State's Attorney of  the  county  in  which  the
 8    violation occurred, or the Attorney General, shall bring such
 9    actions  in  the name of the people of the State of Illinois.
10    Without limiting any other authority which may exist for  the
11    awarding  of  attorney's fees and costs, the Board or a court
12    of competent jurisdiction  may  award  costs  and  reasonable
13    attorney's  fees,  including  the  reasonable costs of expert
14    witnesses and consultants, to the  State's  Attorney  or  the
15    Attorney  General  in a case where he has prevailed against a
16    person who  has  committed  a  wilful,  knowing  or  repeated
17    violation of the Act.
18        Any  funds  collected  under this subsection (f) in which
19    the Attorney General has prevailed shall be deposited in  the
20    Hazardous Waste Fund created in Section 22.2 of this Act. Any
21    funds  collected under this subsection (f) in which a State's
22    Attorney has prevailed shall be retained  by  the  county  in
23    which he serves.
24        (g)  All  final  orders imposing civil penalties pursuant
25    to this Section shall prescribe the time for payment of  such
26    penalties.   If  any such penalty is not paid within the time
27    prescribed, interest on such penalty at the rate set forth in
28    subsection (a) of Section 1003 of  the  Illinois  Income  Tax
29    Act,  shall  be  paid for the period from the date payment is
30    due until the date payment is received.  However, if the time
31    for payment is stayed  during  the  pendency  of  an  appeal,
32    interest shall not accrue during such stay.
33        (h)  In  determining  the appropriate civil penalty to be
34    imposed  under subdivisions  (a), (b)(1), (b)(2),  (b)(3), or
 
                            -5-                LRB9103740ACtm
 1    (b)(5) of this Section, the Board is authorized  to  consider
 2    any  matters  of  record  in  mitigation  or  aggravation  of
 3    penalty, including but not limited to the following factors:
 4             (1)  the duration and gravity of the violation;
 5             (2)  the presence or absence of due diligence on the
 6        part  of  the  violator  in  attempting  to  comply  with
 7        requirements of this Act and regulations thereunder or to
 8        secure relief therefrom as provided by this Act;
 9             (3)  any  economic  benefits accrued by the violator
10        because of delay in compliance with requirements;
11             (4)  the amount of monetary penalty which will serve
12        to deter  further  violations  by  the  violator  and  to
13        otherwise aid in enhancing voluntary compliance with this
14        Act  by  the violator and other persons similarly subject
15        to the Act; and
16             (5)  the number, proximity in time, and  gravity  of
17        previously  adjudicated  violations  of  this  Act by the
18        violator.
19    (Source: P.A. 90-773, eff. 8-14-98.)

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