Kansas Statutes 65-3419. Violations of act; penalties; procedure; injunctions
(a) Any person who violates any provision of subsection (a) of Kan. Stat. Ann. § 65-3409, and amendments thereto, shall incur, in addition to any other penalty provided by law, a civil penalty in an amount of up to $5,000 for every such violation and, in the case of a continuing violation, every day such violation continues shall be deemed a separate violation.
(b) The director of the division of environment, upon a finding that a person has violated any provision of subsection (a) of Kan. Stat. Ann. § 65-3409, and amendments thereto, may impose a penalty within the limits provided in this section, which penalty shall constitute an actual and substantial economic deterrent to the violation for which it is assessed.
Terms Used In Kansas Statutes 65-3419
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- Disposal: means the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking or placing of any solid waste into or on any land or water so that such solid waste or any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any water. See Kansas Statutes 65-3402
- Generator: means any person who produces or brings into existence solid waste. See Kansas Statutes 65-3402
- Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Owner: means any person who owns or leases, or has owned or leased, a drycleaning facility and who is or has been responsible for the operation of drycleaning operations at such drycleaning facility. See Kansas Statutes 65-34,142
- Person: means individual, partnership, firm, trust, company, association, corporation, individual or individuals having controlling or majority interest in a corporation, institution, political subdivision, state agency or federal department or agency. See Kansas Statutes 65-3402
- Secretary: means the secretary of health and environment. See Kansas Statutes 65-3402
- Site: means all areas and media to which environmental contamination or pollution has been released, transported or migrated. See Kansas Statutes 65-34,178
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
- Temporary restraining order: Prohibits a person from an action that is likely to cause irreparable harm. This differs from an injunction in that it may be granted immediately, without notice to the opposing party, and without a hearing. It is intended to last only until a hearing can be held.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(c) No penalty shall be imposed pursuant to this section except upon the written order of the director of the division of environment to the person who committed the violation. Such order shall state the violation, the penalty to be imposed and the right of such person to appeal to a hearing before the secretary of health and environment. Any such person may, within 15 days after service of the order, make written request to the secretary for a hearing thereon. Hearings under this subsection shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Kansas administrative procedure act.
(d) Any action of the secretary pursuant to subsection (c) is subject to review in accordance with the Kansas judicial review act.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act, the secretary, upon receipt of information that the storage, transportation, processing, treatment or disposal of any waste may present a substantial hazard to the health of persons or to the environment or for a threatened or actual violation of this act or rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto, or any orders issued pursuant thereto, or any permit conditions required thereby, may take such action as the secretary determines to be necessary to protect the health of such persons or the environment. The action the secretary may take shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) Issuing an order directing the owner, generator, transporter or the operator of the processing, treatment or disposal facility or site, or the custodian of the waste, which constitutes such hazard or threatened or actual violation, to take such steps as are necessary to prevent the act or eliminate the practice which constitutes such hazard. Such action may include, with respect to a facility or site, permanent or temporary cessation of operation.
(2) Commencing an action to enjoin acts or practices specified in paragraph (1) or requesting that the attorney general or appropriate district or county attorney commence an action to enjoin those acts or practices or threatened acts or practices. Upon a showing by the secretary that a person has engaged in those acts or practices or intends to engage in those acts or practices, a permanent or temporary injunction, restraining order or other order may be granted by any court of competent jurisdiction. An action for injunction under this paragraph (2) shall have precedence over other cases in respect to order of trial.
(3) Applying to the district court in the county in which an order of the secretary under paragraph (1) will take effect, in whole or in part, for an order of that court directing compliance with the order of the secretary. Failure to obey the court order shall be punishable as contempt of the court issuing the order. The application under this paragraph (3) for a court order shall have precedence over other cases in respect to order of trial.
(f) In any civil action brought pursuant to this section in which a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction or permanent injunction is sought, it shall not be necessary to allege or prove at any stage of the proceeding that irreparable damage will occur should the temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction or permanent injunction not be issued or that the remedy at law is inadequate, and the temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction or permanent injunction shall issue without such allegations and without such proof.