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§ 6021.1307. Civil penalties

Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated StatutesTitle 35 P.S. Health and Safety

Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated Statutes
Title 35 P.S. Health and Safety (Refs & Annos)
Chapter 29D. Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act (Refs & Annos)
Chapter 13. Enforcement
35 P.S. § 6021.1307
§ 6021.1307. Civil penalties
(a) Assessment.--In addition to proceeding under any other remedy available at law or in equity for a violation of a provision of this act, rule, regulation, order of the department, or a condition or term of any permit issued pursuant to this act, the department may assess a civil penalty for the violation. This penalty may be assessed whether or not the violation was willful. The civil penalty so assessed shall not exceed $10,000 per day for each violation. In determining the amount of the penalty, the department shall consider the willfulness of the violation; damage to air, water, land or other natural resources of this Commonwealth or their uses; cost of restoration and abatement; savings resulting to the person in consequence of the violation; deterrence of future violations; and other relevant factors. Each violation of any provision of this act, rule, regulation, order of the department or condition of a permit, and each day of violation shall constitute a separate violation.
(b) Collection.--When the department or any State agency, Federal agency, county, joint county authority or multimunicipal authority delegated authority to assess civil penalties under section 107(a)1 proposes to assess a civil penalty, it shall inform the person of the proposed amount of the penalty. The person charged with the penalty shall then have 30 days to pay the proposed penalty in full or, if the person wishes to contest the amount of the penalty or the fact of the violation, forward the proposed amount of the penalty to the department within the 30-day period for placement in an escrow account with the State Treasurer or any Pennsylvania bank, or post an appeal bond to the department within 30 days in the amount of the proposed penalty, provided that such bond is executed by a surety licensed to do business in this Commonwealth and is satisfactory to the department. If, through administrative or final judicial review of the proposed penalty, it is determined that no violation occurred or that the amount of the penalty shall be reduced, the department shall, within 30 days, remit the appropriate amount to the person with any interest accumulated by the escrow deposit. Failure to forward the money or the appeal bond shall result in a waiver of all legal rights to contest the violation or the amount of the penalty. The amount assessed after administrative hearing or after waiver of administrative hearing shall be payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and shall be collectible in any manner provided by law for the collection of debts. If any person liable to pay any such penalty neglects or refuses to pay the same after demand, the amount, together with interest and any costs that may accrue, shall constitute a judgment in favor of the Commonwealth upon the property of such person from the date it has been entered and docketed on record by the prothonotary of the county where such is situated. The department may, at any time, transmit to the prothonotaries of the respective counties certified copies of all such judgments, and it shall be the duty of each prothonotary to enter and docket them of record in his office and to index the same as judgments are indexed, without requiring the payment of costs as a condition precedent to the entry thereof.

Credits

1989, July 6, P.L. 169, No. 32, § 1307, effective in 30 days.

Footnotes

35 P.S. § 6021.107
35 P.S. § 6021.1307, PA ST 35 P.S. § 6021.1307
Current through the end of the 2023 Regular Session. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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