2019 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 22a - Environmental Protection
Chapter 446c - Air Pollution Control
Section 22a-178 - (Formerly Sec. 19-514). Orders to correct violations. Hearings. Modification and extension. Orders to owners. Joint and several liability. Filing of certified copy or notice on land records. Orders to investigate.
(a) If the commissioner finds that any person has violated any provision of this chapter, or any regulation, order, or permit adopted or issued thereunder, he may issue a written order against the person alleged to be committing such violation and shall cause a true copy thereof to be served upon such person by certified mail with return receipt requested or by a state marshal or indifferent person, and the original thereof, with a return of such service endorsed thereon, shall be filed with the commissioner. Such order shall specify the nature of the violation and specify a reasonable period of time within which such person shall take such measures as will correct or remedy any such violation.
(b) If the commissioner finds that (1) a violation of a regulation or the terms or conditions of a permit issued pursuant to section 22a-174 exists and (2) the person alleged to be committing such violation has received written notification of two violations in the preceding one-year period, the commissioner shall require an emission test of the air contaminant source at the expense of the source. If the results of such test indicate noncompliance with a regulation or the terms or conditions of a permit, the commissioner shall issue an order requiring pollution abatement.
(c) Unless such person files a written answer thereto within thirty days after the date of service and requests a hearing thereon before the commissioner, an order issued pursuant to this section shall be final and not subject to appeal to the commissioner. Upon receipt of such request, the commissioner shall grant a hearing as soon thereafter as is practicable. The testimony at the hearing shall be under oath and recorded stenographically or by a sound-recording device, but the parties shall not be bound by the strict rules of evidence in courts of law at such hearing. True copies of the transcript and of any other record made of or at such hearing shall be furnished to the respondent at his request and at his expense.
(d) After the hearing, the commissioner shall consider all the evidence and affirm, modify or revoke the order in his discretion. By agreement of the commissioner and the person or persons subject to the order, the commissioner may, after the hearing or at any time after the issuance of the order, modify such order or extend the time for compliance set forth in the order, and any such modification or extension by agreement shall be deemed to be a revision of the order and shall not constitute a new order. There shall be no hearing subsequent to, or any appeal from, any modification or extension by agreement.
(e) Whenever the commissioner issues an order to any person to correct a violation and such person is not the owner of the land at which the violation occurred or exists, the commissioner may issue an order to the owner of such land to correct such violation. Such an order shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the owner at his last-known post-office address, with a notice that such order shall be filed on the land records in which the land is located. Any owner to whom such an order is issued shall have all the rights and privileges provided by this chapter and section 4-183 and shall be subject to section 22a-182a.
(f) If the commissioner issues an order under this chapter to two or more persons, including a landowner and the person causing the pollution or creating or maintaining the potential air pollution source, each such person shall be jointly and severally liable.
(g) When an order issued by the commissioner to any person pursuant to this chapter becomes final, except for an order to create or use emission reduction credits, the commissioner shall cause a certified copy or notice of the final order to be filed on the land records in the town where the subject property is located, and such certified copy or notice shall constitute a notice to the owner's heirs, successors and assigns. When the order has been fully complied with or revoked, the commissioner shall issue a notice showing such compliance or revocation, which the commissioner shall cause to be recorded on the land records in the town wherein the order was previously recorded.
(h) If the commissioner has reasonable cause to believe, based on department investigation, test data or other credible information, that any person has violated or is about to violate any provision of this chapter, or any regulation, order, or permit adopted or issued thereunder, he may issue an order to such person to investigate, by monitoring, production of records, or any other means, the source of air pollution. Such order may also require that if the investigation determines there is or has been a violation of any provision of this chapter, or any regulation, order, or permit adopted or issued thereunder, the respondent shall correct such violation. An order issued under this subsection shall be subject to subsections (a) to (f), inclusive, of this section.
(1967, P.A. 754, S. 9; 1969, P.A. 758, S. 8; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 22; 1972, P.A. 103, S. 2; P.A. 73-537, S. 2, 3; P.A. 75-160, S. 1, 2; P.A. 77-44; P.A. 87-338, S. 3, 11; P.A. 90-150, S. 3; 90-247, S. 2; P.A. 99-225, S. 1; P.A. 00-99, S. 64, 154; P.A. 04-151, S. 2; P.A. 05-288, S. 101; P.A. 06-76, S. 2.)
History: 1969 act required that order specify nature of violation in Subsec. (a) and added provision in Subsec. (b) re request for hearing and required that such request be a condition precedent to taking appeal; 1971 act replaced “commission”, i.e. clean air commission, with “commissioner”, i.e. commissioner of environmental protection; 1972 act excluded violations specified in Sec. 19-508a; P.A. 73-537 deleted clause which limited issuance of order to cases where conference, conciliation etc. failed to remedy violations and deleted exclusion for violations specified in Sec. 19-508a; P.A. 75-160 allowed notification “by certified mail with return receipt requested” in Subsec. (a); P.A. 77-44 added Subsec. (c); Sec. 19-514 transferred to Sec. 22a-178 in 1983; P.A. 87-338 amended Subsec. (a) to apply provisions to violations of the terms or conditions of a permit and to make issuance of an order discretionary rather than mandatory and amended Subsec. (b) to make orders final unless a written answer is filed to the order within 30 days, deleting requirement that request for a hearing is precedent to taking appeal under Sec. 22a-182; P.A. 90-150 inserted new Subsec. (b) re requiring emission test if source has two violations in the preceding one-year period, made technical change in Subsec. (c), and relettered the remaining Subsecs.; P.A. 90-247 amended Subsec. (a) to apply provisions to violations of this chapter and violations of an order, deleted the provision allowing a person to request a hearing upon an order concerning plans and specifications, added Subsec. (c) re modification of orders and extensions of time, Subsec. (d) re the issuance of orders to owners of the land at which the violation occurred, Subsec. (e) re joint and several liability and Subsec. (g) re orders to potential violators, and relettered Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (f); P.A. 99-225 amended Subsec. (g) to provide that final orders issued under this section shall be recorded by the commissioner on land records; P.A. 00-99 replaced reference to sheriff with state marshal in Subsec. (a), effective December 1, 2000; P.A. 04-151 amended Subsec. (g) to require the respondent, rather than the commissioner, to file order, to add exception for an order to create or use emission reduction credits, to require the recipient, rather than the commissioner, to file certificate, to add provisions re where the respondent and recipient do not own the subject property, and to add requirement re submission of a certified copy, effective May 21, 2004; P.A. 05-288 made a technical change in Subsec. (g), effective July 13, 2005; P.A. 06-76 amended Subsec. (g) to require commissioner, rather than respondent, to perform required filing and to make conforming changes.
