A. Whenever, on the basis of any information, the department determines that a person has violated, is violating or threatens to violate any requirement of the Utility Operators Certification Act, any rule adopted pursuant to that act or any condition of a certification issued under that act, the department may:

(1) issue a compliance order stating with reasonable specificity the nature of the violation or threatened violation and either requiring compliance immediately or within a specified time period or assessing a civil penalty for any past or current violation, or both; or

(2) commence a civil action in district court for appropriate relief, including a temporary or permanent injunction.

B. Any penalty assessed in the compliance order shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) per day for each violation of any provision of the Utility Operators Certification Act, any rule adopted pursuant to the provisions of that act or any condition of a certification issued under that act.

C. In assessing any penalty authorized by this section, the department shall take into account the seriousness of the violation, any good faith efforts to comply with the applicable requirements and other relevant factors.

D. if a violator fails to take corrective actions within the time specified in a compliance order, the department may assess a civil penalty of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each day of continued noncompliance with the compliance order.

E. Any compliance order issued by the department pursuant to this section shall become final unless, no later than thirty days after the compliance order is served, any person named in the compliance order submits a written request to the department for a public hearing. Upon receiving a request, the department shall promptly conduct a public hearing. A complete record of the proceedings shall be made and preserved.

F. The department may appoint a hearing officer to preside over the public hearing held pursuant to this section. If a hearing officer is appointed, the hearing officer shall forward a recommendation based upon the record to the secretary of environment, who shall make the final decision.

G. In connection with any proceeding pursuant to the provisions of this section, the department may:

(1) adopt rules for discovery procedures; and

(2) issue subpoenas for the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of relevant papers, books and documents.

H. A person aggrieved by an adverse final decision of the secretary may appeal the decision to the commission. The appeal shall be on the record. The commission may, upon motion by a party, receive either oral or written arguments by the parties limited to the evidence contained in the record.

I. All penalties collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the general fund to the credit of the current school fund.

History: Laws 1992, ch. 44, § 10; 2005, ch. 285, § 8.

The 2005 amendment, effective July 1, 2005, changed "commission" to "department"; provided in Subsection E that a complete record of the proceedings shall be made and preserved; provided in Subsection F that if a hearing officer is appointed, the hearing officer shall forward a recommendation to the secretary of environment; added Subsection H to provide that an aggrieved party may appeal the decision of the secretary to the commission and that the commission may receive oral or written argument; and provided in Subsection I that all penalties shall be credited to the current school fund.