Public Act 099-0137
 
SB1377 EnrolledLRB099 10503 AMC 30730 b

    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Oil and Gas Act is amended by
changing Section 8a and by adding Section 8d as follows:
 
    (225 ILCS 725/8a)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 5413)
    Sec. 8a. When an inspector or other authorized employee or
agent of the Department determines that any permittee, or any
person engaged in conduct or activities required to be
permitted under this Act, is in violation of any requirement of
this Act or the rules adopted hereunder or any permit
condition, or has falsified or otherwise misstated any
information on or relative to any application, permit, required
record, or other document required to be submitted to the
Department by this Act or any rules or procedures adopted under
this Act the permit application, a notice of violation shall be
completed and delivered to the Director or his designee.
    The notice shall contain:
        1. the nature of the violation;
        2. the action needed to abate the violation, including
    any appropriate remedial measures to prevent future
    violation such as replacement, repair, testing and
    reworking a well and any appurtenances and equipment;
        3. the time within which the violation is to be abated;
    and
        4. any factors known to the person completing the
    notice of violation in aggravation or mitigation and the
    existence of any factors indicating that the permit should
    be conditioned or modified.
    Upon receipt of a notice of violation, the Director shall
conduct his investigation and may affirm, vacate or modify the
notice of violation. In determining whether to take actions in
addition to remedial action necessary to abate a violation, the
Director shall consider the person's or permittee's history of
previous violations including violations at other locations
and under other permits, the seriousness of the violation
including any irreparable harm to the environment or damage to
property, the degree of culpability of the person or permittee
and the existence of any additional conditions or factors in
aggravation or mitigation including information provided by
the person or permittee.
    The Director shall serve the person or permittee with his
decision at the conclusion of the investigation. Modification
of the notice of violation may include:
        1. any different or additional remedial action
    required to abate the violation and the time within which
    the violation must be abated;
        2. the assessment of civil penalties not to exceed
    $5,000 for each and every falsification or misstatement of
    information and $1,000 a day for each and every act of
    violation not including a falsification or misstatement of
    information;
        3. probationary or permanent modification or
    conditions on the permit which may include special
    monitoring or reporting requirements; and
        4. revocation of the permit.
    The Director's decision shall provide that the person or
permittee has the right to request a hearing.
    The Director's decision affirming, vacating or modifying
the notice of violation shall be considered served when mailed
by first class mail to the person or permittee at his last
known address.
    A person or permittee shall have 30 days from the date of
service of the Director's decision to request a hearing. If the
Director's decision includes the assessment of a civil penalty,
the person or permittee charged with the penalty shall pay the
penalty in full or, if the person or permittee wishes to
contest either the amount of the penalty or the fact of the
violation, submit the assessed amount, with the request for a
hearing, to be held in escrow. The filing of a request for a
hearing shall not operate as a stay of the Director's decision.
All civil penalties finally assessed and paid to the Department
shall be deposited in the Underground Resources Conservation
Enforcement Fund.
    Any person who willfully or knowingly authorized, ordered,
or carried out any violation cited in the Director's decision
shall be subject to the same actions, including civil
penalties, which may be imposed on the person or permittee
under this Section.
    Upon receipt of a request, the Department shall provide an
opportunity for a formal hearing upon not less than 5 days
notice. The hearing shall be conducted by the Director or
anyone designated by him for such purpose, and shall be located
and conducted in accordance with the rules of the Department.
Failure of the person or permittee to timely request a hearing
or, if a civil penalty has been assessed, to timely tender the
assessed civil penalty, shall constitute a waiver of all legal
rights to contest the Director's decision, including the amount
of any civil penalty. Within 30 days of the close of the
hearing record or expiration of the time to request a hearing,
the Department shall issue a final administrative order.
    If, at the expiration of the period of time originally
fixed in the Director's decision or in any subsequent extension
of time granted by the Department, the Department finds that
the violation has not been abated, it may immediately order the
cessation of operations or the portions thereof relevant to the
violation. Such cessation order shall be served in the manner
and within the time prescribed in Section 19.1 of this Act.
    Pending the holding of any hearing or entry of a final
administrative order under this Section, the person or
permittee to whom the cessation order was issued may file a
written request for temporary relief subject to the same terms
and conditions as are provided for in Section 19.1 of this Act.
    If the Department finds that a person or permittee has
failed to comply with a final administrative order, the
Department may immediately order the cessation of operations or
the portions thereof relevant to the final administrative
order. Such cessation order shall be served in the manner and
within the time prescribed in Section 19.1 of this Act. The
Department shall commence a hearing within 5 days after
issuance of a cessation order and shall conclude such hearing
without appreciable delay. At the hearing the Department shall
have the burden of proving that the person or permittee has not
complied with the final administrative order. A cessation order
issued under this paragraph shall continue in effect until
modified, vacated, or terminated by the Department.
    The Department shall refuse to issue a permit or permits,
and shall revoke any permit or permits previously issued if:
        (1) the applicant has falsified or otherwise misstated
    any information on or relative to the permit application;
        (2) the applicant has failed to abate a violation of
    the Act specified in a final administrative decision of the
    Department;
        (3) an officer, director, partner, or person with an
    interest in the applicant exceeding 5% failed to abate a
    violation of the Act specified in a final administrative
    decision of the Department; or
        (4) the applicant is an officer, director, partner, or
    person with an interest exceeding 5% in another entity that
    has failed to abate a violation of the Act specified in a
    final administrative decision of the Department.
(Source: P.A. 89-243, eff. 8-4-95.)
 
    (225 ILCS 725/8d new)
    Sec. 8d. Falsification or misstatement of information. No
person shall falsify or otherwise misstate any information on
or relative to any application, permit, required record, or
other document required to be submitted to the Department by
this Act or any rules or procedures adopted under this Act.

Effective Date: 1/1/2016