PESTICIDE COMPANY WAS ENTITLED TO A HEARING BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION OF A CLEAN-UP PLAN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION.
The Third Department, in a detailed decision, reversing Supreme Court, determined petitioner, a pesticide manufacturer, had not been afforded a hearing on a clean-up plan (CMA 9) which the respondent Department of Environmental Conservation sought to implement. Therefore the Department could not find that the pesticide company had “refused” to obey the implementation order and could not proceed with the clean-up itself:
… [W]e conclude that the procedural framework set forth in ECL 27-1313 applies … . Where, as here, respondent has determined that a site poses a “significant threat to the environment,” the agency may order an owner “(i) to develop an inactive hazardous waste disposal site remedial program, subject to the approval of [respondent], at such site, and (ii) to implement such program within reasonable time limits specified in the order” (ECL 27-1313 [3] [a]). Prior to issuing such an order, the owner is entitled to “notice and the opportunity for a hearing” (ECL 27-1313 [4]). Where a responsible party “has failed” to comply with a remedial order, either because it is unable or unwilling to do so, respondent may implement the remedial program itself (ECL 27-1313 [5] [a], [b], [c]).
Here, under the consent order, petitioner developed the CMA report. The focus in this proceeding turns to remedy selection and implementation. Under this statutory framework, petitioner was entitled to both notice (which was provided through the statement of basis process) and an opportunity for a hearing prior to the issuance of an order directing petitioner to implement CMA 9. As it turns out, petitioner was not accorded an opportunity for a hearing to assert its challenge to CMA 9 and no implementation order was issued. Absent such an order, we must agree with petitioner that respondent’s determination that it was authorized to proceed with the remedial work based on petitioner’s “refusal” to perform the work was arbitrary and capricious. Matter of FMC Corp. v New York State Dept. of Envtl. Conservation, 2016 NY Slip Op 06929, 3rd Dept 10-20-16
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (PESTICIDE COMPANY WAS ENTITLED TO A HEARING BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION OF A CLEAN-UP PLAN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION)/HAZARDOUS WASTE (PESTICIDE COMPANY WAS ENTITLED TO A HEARING BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION OF A CLEAN-UP PLAN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION)/PESTICIDE MANUFATURE (PESTICIDE COMPANY WAS ENTITLED TO A HEARING BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION OF A CLEAN-UP PLAN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION)