(415 ILCS 45/23.1)

Sec. 23.1. Administrative citations.

(a) Violations of the requirement set forth in paragraph (3) of subsection (b) of Section 1.1 of this Act shall be enforceable by administrative citation under this Section or as otherwise provided in this Act.

(b) If Agency personnel discover that a Responsible Operator in Charge has violated paragraph (3) of subsection (b) of Section 1.1 of this Act, the Agency may issue and serve, in person or by certified mail, an administrative citation upon that individual within not more than 90 days after the date of the discovery of the violation. Each citation issued under this subsection (b) shall be served upon the individual named in the citation or that individual's authorized agent for service of process, and shall include the following information:

(1) a statement specifying the report or result that the Responsible Operator in Charge failed to submit in accordance with Board rules and a citation to the Board rules that were violated;

(2) a copy of any report in which the Agency recorded the violation;

(3) the penalty imposed by subsection (f) of this Section for the violation;

(4) instructions for contesting the administrative citation findings pursuant to this Section, including notification that the individual has 35 days within which to file a petition for review before the Illinois Pollution Control Board to contest the administrative citation; and

(5) an affidavit by the personnel recording the violation.

(c) No later than 15 days after the date of service, the Agency shall file a copy of each administrative citation served under subsection (b) of this Section with the Illinois Pollution Control Board, which is hereby authorized to conduct proceedings upon administrative citations issued pursuant to this Section.

(d) If the individual named in the administrative citation fails to petition the Illinois Pollution Control Board for review within 35 days after the date of service of the citation, the Illinois Pollution Control Board shall adopt a final order, which shall include the administrative citation and findings of violation as alleged in the citation, and shall impose the penalty specified in subsection (f) of this Section.

If a petition for review is filed before the Illinois Pollution Control Board to contest an administrative citation issued under subsection (b) of this Section, the Agency shall appear as a complainant at a hearing before the Illinois Pollution Control Board to be conducted in accordance with the requirements of Section 32 of the Environmental Protection Act at a time not less than 21 days after notice of the hearing has been sent by the Illinois Pollution Control Board to the Agency and the individual named in the citation. In these hearings, the burden of proof shall be on the Agency. If, based on the record, the Illinois Pollution Control Board finds that the alleged violation occurred, it shall adopt a final order, which shall include the administrative citation and findings of violation as alleged in the citation, and shall impose the penalty specified in subsection (f) of this Section. However, if the Illinois Pollution Control Board finds that the individual appealing the citation has shown that the violation resulted from uncontrollable circumstances, the Illinois Pollution Control Board shall adopt a final order that makes no finding of violation and imposes no penalty.

(e) Sections 10-25 through 10-60 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act shall not apply to any administrative citation issued under subsection (b) of this Section.

(f) In an administrative citation action under this Section, any Responsible Operator in Charge who is found to have violated paragraph (3) of subsection (b) of Section 1.1 of this Act shall pay a civil penalty of $500 for each violation of that provision, plus any hearing costs incurred by the Board and the Agency, except that the civil penalty amount shall be $1,500 for each violation of paragraph (3) of subsection (b) of Section 1.1 of this Act that is the individual's second or subsequent adjudicated violation of that provision. The penalties assessed under this Section shall be deposited into the Environmental Protection Trust Fund, to be used in accordance with the provisions of the Environmental Protection Trust Fund Act.

(g) All final orders issued and entered by the Illinois Pollution Control Board pursuant to this Section shall be enforceable by injunction, mandamus, or other appropriate remedy, as is provided for other orders of the Illinois Pollution Control Board under Section 42 of the Environmental Protection Act.

(Source: P.A. 98-856, eff. 8-4-14.)