Illinois § 40

§ 40.

Appeal of permit denial. (a)(1) If the Agency refuses to grant or grants with conditions a permit under Section 39 of this Act, the applicant may, within 35 days after the date on which the Agency served its decision on the applicant, petition for a hearing before the Board to contest the decision of the Agency. However, the 35-day period for petitioning for a hearing may be extended for an additional period of time not to exceed 90 days by written notice provided to the Board from the applicant and the Agency within the initial appeal period. The Board shall give 21 days' notice to any person in the county where is located the facility in issue who has requested notice of enforcement proceedings and to each member of the General Assembly in whose legislative district that installation or property is located; and shall publish that 21-day notice in a newspaper of general circulation in that county. The Agency shall appear as respondent in such hearing. At such hearing the rules prescribed in Section 32 and subsection (a) of Section 33 of this Act shall apply, and the burden of proof shall be on the petitioner. If, however, the Agency issues an NPDES permit that imposes limits which are based upon a criterion or denies a permit based upon application of a criterion, then the Agency shall have the burden of going forward with the basis for the derivation of those limits or criterion which were derived under the Board's rules. (2) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(3), if there is no final action by the Board within 120 days after the date on which it received the petition, the petitioner may deem the permit issued under this Act, provided, however, that that period of 120 days shall not run for any period of time, not to exceed 30 days, during which the Board is without sufficient membership to constitute the quorum required by subsection (a) of Section 5 of this Act, and provided further that such 120 day period shall not be stayed for lack of quorum beyond 30 days regardless of whether the lack of quorum exists at the beginning of such 120-day period or occurs during the running of such 120-day period. (3) Paragraph (a)(2) shall not apply to any permit which is subject to subsection (b), (d) or (e) of Section 39. If there is no final action by the Board within 120 days after the date on which it received the petition, the petitioner shall be entitled to an Appellate Court order pursuant to subsection (d) of Section 41 of this Act. (b) If the Agency grants a RCRA permit for a hazardous waste disposal site, a third party, other than the permit applicant or Agency, may, within 35 days after the date on which the Agency issued its decision, petition the Board for a hearing to contest the issuance of the permit. Unless the Board determines that such petition is duplicative or frivolous, or that the petitioner is so located as to not be affected by the permitted facility, the Board shall hear the petition in accordance with the terms of subsection (a) of this Section and its procedural rules governing denial appeals, such hearing to be based exclusively on the record before the Agency. The burden of proof shall be on the petitioner. The Agency and the permit applicant shall be named co-respondents. The provisions of this subsection do not apply to the granting of permits issued for the disposal or utilization of sludge from publicly owned sewage works. (c) Any party to an Agency proceeding conducted pursuant to Section 39.3 of this Act may petition as of right to the Board for review of the Agency's decision within 35 days from the date of issuance of the Agency's decision, provided that such appeal is not duplicative or frivolous. However, the 35-day period for petitioning for a hearing may be extended by the applicant for a period of time not to exceed 90 days by written notice provided to the Board from the applicant and the Agency within the initial appeal period. If another person with standing to appeal wishes to obtain an extension, there must be a written notice provided to the Board by that person, the Agency, and the applicant, within the initial appeal period. The decision of the Board shall be based exclusively on the record compiled in the Agency proceeding. In other respects the Board's review shall be conducted in accordance with subsection (a) of this Section and the Board's procedural rules governing permit denial appeals. (d) In reviewing the denial or any condition of a NA NSR permit issued by the Agency pursuant to rules and regulations adopted under subsection (c) of Section 9.1 of this Act, the decision of the Board shall be based exclusively on the record before the Agency including the record of the hearing, if any, unless the parties agree to supplement the record. The Board shall, if it finds the Agency is in error, make a final determination as to the substantive limitations of the permit including a final determination of Lowest Achievable Emission Rate. (e)(1) If the Agency grants or denies a permit under subsection (b) of Section 39 of this Act, a third party, other than the permit applicant or Agency, may petition the Board within 35 days from the date of issuance of the Agency's decision, for a hearing to contest the decision of the Agency. (2) A petitioner shall include the following within a petition submitted under subdivision (1) of this subsection: (A) a demonstration that the petitioner raised the issues contained within the petition during the public notice period or during the public hearing on the NPDES permit application, if a public hearing was held; and (B) a demonstration that the petitioner is so situated as to be affected by the permitted facility. (3) If the Board determines that the petition is not duplicative or frivolous and contains a satisfactory demonstration under subdivision (2) of this subsection, the Board shall hear the petition (i) in accordance with the terms of subsection (a) of this Section and its procedural rules governing permit denial appeals and (ii) exclusively on the basis of the record before the Agency. The burden of proof shall be on the petitioner. The Agency and permit applicant shall be named co-respondents. (f) Any person who files a petition to contest the issuance of a permit by the Agency shall pay a filing fee. (g) If the Agency grants or denies a permit under subsection (y) of Section 39, a third party, other than the permit applicant or Agency, may appeal the Agency's decision as provided under federal law for CCR surface impoundment permits. (Source: P.A. 101-171, eff. 7-30-19; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21.)