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HomeMy WebLinkAbout820599_PC-2021-0013_20210630 June 30, 2021 CERTIFIED MAIL - # 7017 0190 0000 1635 3726 RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED Keith B. Butler Keith B. Butler Farm 5242 High House Road Roseboro, NC 28382 SUBJECT: Assessment of Civil Penalties for Violation(s) of 15A NCAC 2T .0105(e)(2) Farm # 820599 Sampson County Enforcement File No. PC-2021-0013 Dear Mr. Butler: This letter transmits notice of a civil penalty assessed against Mr. Keith B. Butler in the amount of $5,000.00 and $347.76 in investigative costs, for a total of $5,347.76. Attached is a copy of the assessment document explaining this penalty. This action was taken under the authority vested in me by delegation provided by the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality. Any continuing violation(s) may be the subject of a new enforcement action, including an additional penalty. Within thirty days of receipt of this notice, you must do one of the following: 1. Submit payment of the penalty: Payment should be made directly to the order of the Department of Environmental Quality (do not include waiver form). Payment of the penalty will not foreclose further enforcement action for any continuing or new violation(s). Please submit payment to the attention of: Miressa D. Garoma Animal Feeding Operations Program Division of Water Resources 1636 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1636 OR DocuSign Envelope ID: ADB252E5-F48E-4AD1-B912-756C5F7D77F7 2. Submit a written request for remission including a detailed justification for such request: Please be aware that a request for remission is limited to consideration of the five factors listed below, as they may relate to the reasonableness of the amount of the civil penalty assessed. Requesting remission is not the proper procedure for contesting whether the violation(s) occurred or the accuracy of any of the factual statements contained in the civil penalty assessment document. Because a remission request forecloses the option of an administrative hearing, such a request must be accompanied by a waiver of your right to an administrative hearing and a stipulation and agreement that no factual or legal issues are in dispute. Please prepare a detailed statement that establishes why you believe the civil penalty should be remitted, and submit it to the Division of Water Resources at the address listed below. In determining whether a remission request will be approved, the following factors shall be considered: (1) whether one or more of the civil penalty assessment factors in NCGS 143B-282.1(b) were wrongfully applied to the detriment of the violator; (2) whether the violator promptly abated continuing environmental damage resulting from the violation; (3) whether the violation was inadvertent or a result of an accident; (4) whether the violator has been assessed civil penalties for any previous violations; or (5) whether payment of the civil penalty will prevent payment for the remaining necessary remedial actions. Please note that all evidence presented in support of your request for remission must be submitted in writing. The Director of the Division of Water Resources will review your evidence and inform you of their decision in the matter of your remission request. The response will provide details regarding the case status, directions for payment, and provision for further appeal of the penalty to the Environmental Management Commission’s Committee on Civil Penalty Remissions (Committee). Please be advised that the Committee cannot consider information that was not part of the original remission request considered by the Director. Therefore, it is very important that you prepare a complete and thorough statement in support of your request for remission. In order to request remission, you must complete and submit the enclosed “Request for Remission of Civil Penalties, Waiver of Right to an Administrative Hearing, and Stipulation of Facts” form within thirty (30) days of receipt of this notice. The Division of Water Resources also requests that you complete and submit the enclosed “Justification for Remission Request.” Both forms should be submitted to the following address: Miressa D. Garoma Animal Feeding Operations Program Division of Water Resources 1636 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1636 OR 3. File a petition for an administrative hearing with the Office of Administrative Hearings: If you wish to contest any statement in the attached assessment document, you must file a petition for an administrative hearing. You may obtain the petition form from the Office of Administrative Hearings. DocuSign Envelope ID: ADB252E5-F48E-4AD1-B912-756C5F7D77F7 You must file the petition with the Office of Administrative Hearings within thirty (30) days of receipt of this notice. A petition is considered filed when it is received in the Office of Administrative Hearings during normal office hours. The Office of Administrative Hearings accepts filings Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., except for official state holidays. The petition may be filed by facsimile (fax) or electronic mail by an attached file (with restrictions) - provided the signed original, one (1) copy and a filing fee (if a filing fee is required by NCGS §150B-23.2) is received in the Office of Administrative Hearings within seven (7) business days following the faxed or electronic transmission. You should contact the Office of Administrative Hearings with all questions regarding the filing fee and/or the details of the filing process. The mailing address and telephone and fax numbers for the Office of Administrative Hearings are as follows: Office of Administrative Hearings 6714 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-6714 Tel: (919) 431-3000 Fax: (919) 431-3100 One (1) copy of the petition must also be served on DEQ as follows: William F. Lane, General Counsel DEQ 1601 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1601 Failure to exercise one of the options above within thirty (30) days of receipt of this notice, as evidenced by an internal date/time received stamp (not a postmark), will result in this matter being referred to the Attorney General's Office for collection of the penalty through a civil action. Please be advised that additional penalties may be assessed for violations that occur after the review period of this assessment. If you have any questions, please contact Miressa D. Garoma at (919) 707-3665. Sincerely, Jeff Poupart, Chief Water Quality Permitting Section Division of Water Resources ATTACHMENTS cc: Fayetteville WQROS Regional Supervisor w/ attachments File # PC-2021-0013 w/ attachments WQPS Central Files w/ attachments Sampson County Health Department Laserfiche (AWS820599) DocuSign Envelope ID: ADB252E5-F48E-4AD1-B912-756C5F7D77F7 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COUNTY OF SAMPSON IN THE MATTER OF ASSESSMENT ) WAIVER OF RIGHT TO AN OF CIVIL PENALTIES AGAINST ) ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING AND ) STIPULATION OF FACTS KEITH B. BUTLER ) ) ) ) PERMIT NO. AWS820599 ) FILE NO. PC-2021-0013 Having been assessed civil penalties totaling $5,347.76 for violation(s) as set forth in the assessment document of the Division of Water Resources dated, June 30, 2021, the undersigned, desiring to seek remission of the civil penalty, does hereby waive the right to an administrative hearing in the above-stated matter and does stipulate that the facts are as alleged in the assessment document. The undersigned further understands that all evidence presented in support of remission of this civil penalty must be submitted to the Director of the Division of Water Resources within thirty (30) days of receipt of the notice of assessment. No new evidence in support of a remission request will be allowed after thirty (30) days from the receipt of the notice of assessment. This the ____________________ day of _______________________, 2021 ________________________________ Signature ADDRESS ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ TELEPHONE ________________________________ JUSTIFICATION FOR REMISSION REQUEST Case Number: PC-2021-0013 County: Sampson Assessed Party: Keith B. Butler Permit No.: AWS820599 Amount assessed: $5,347.76 Please use this form when requesting remission of this civil penalty. You must also complete the “Request For Remission, Waiver of Right to an Administrative Hearing, and Stipulation of Facts” form to request remission of this civil penalty. You should attach any documents that you believe support your request and are necessary for the Director to consider in determining your request for remission. Please be aware that a request for remission is limited to consideration of the five factors listed below as they may relate to the reasonableness of the amount of the civil penalty assessed. Requesting remission is not the proper procedure for contesting whether the violation(s) occurred or the accuracy of any of the factual statements contained in the civil penalty assessment document. By law [NCGS 133-215.6A(f)] remission of a civil penalty may be granted when one or more of the following five factors applies. Please check each factor that you believe applies to your case and provide a detailed explanation, including copies of supporting documents, as to why the factor applies (attach additional pages as needed). ___ (a) one or more of the civil penalty assessment factors in NCGS 143B-282.1(b) were wrongfully applied to the detriment of the petitioner (the assessment factors are included in the attached penalty matrix and/or listed in the civil penalty assessment document); ___ (b) the violator promptly abated continuing environmental damage resulting from the violation (i.e., explain the steps that you took to correct the violation and prevent future occurrences); ___ (c) the violation was inadvertent or a result of an accident (i.e., explain why the violation was unavoidable or something you could not prevent or prepare for); ___ (d) the violator had not been assessed civil penalties for any previous violations; ___ (e) payment of the civil penalty will prevent payment for the remaining necessary remedial actions (i.e., explain how payment of the civil penalty will prevent you from performing the activities necessary to achieve compliance). EXPLANATION: \Rem. req.