Section 3750.20. Prosecutions

(A) The attorney general, the prosecuting attorney of the county, or the city director of law of the city where a violation has occurred or is occurring, upon the written request of the executive committee of the emergency response commission, the local emergency planning committee, or the fire department having jurisdiction where the violation has occurred or is occurring, shall prosecute to termination or bring an action for injunction against any person who has violated or is violating any section of this chapter or rules adopted or orders issued under it. The court of common pleas in which an action for injunction is filed has the jurisdiction to and shall grant preliminary and permanent injunctive relief upon a showing that the person against whom the action is brought has violated or is violating any section of this chapter or a rule adopted or order issued under it. The court shall give precedence to such an action over all other cases.

Upon the certified written request of any person, the director of environmental protection shall conduct such investigations and make such inquiries as are necessary to secure compliance with this chapter and the rules adopted or orders issued under it. The director or the commission may, upon request or upon their own initiative, investigate or make inquiries into any alleged violation of this chapter or rules adopted or orders issued under it.

(B)

(1) Whoever violates section 3750.06 of the Revised Code or an order issued under section 3750.18 of the Revised Code to enforce that section shall pay a civil penalty of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars for each day of violation.

(2) Whoever violates division (B) of section 3750.17 of the Revised Code shall pay a civil penalty of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars for each violation.

(3) Whoever violates section 3750.05, 3750.07, or 3750.08 of the Revised Code, divisions (C)(1) to (3) of section 3750.09 of the Revised Code, division (C) of section 3750.10, a rule adopted under division (B)(1)(d) or (e) of section 3750.02 of the Revised Code, an order issued under section 3750.18 of the Revised Code to secure compliance with any of those sections or rules, division (E)(5) of section 3750.03 of the Revised Code, division (E) of section 3750.11 of the Revised Code, or division (C) of section 3750.17 of the Revised Code shall pay a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars for each day of violation.

(4) Whoever violates a provision of this chapter or a rule adopted under it for which no civil penalty is otherwise provided shall pay a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars for each day of violation. The attorney general, the prosecuting attorney of the county, or the city director of law of the city where a violation of this chapter or of a rule adopted or order issued under it has occurred or is occurring, upon the written request of the executive committee of the commission, the committee of the emergency planning district, or of the fire department having jurisdiction where the offense has occurred or is occurring, shall bring an action under this division against any person who has committed or is committing any such violation. All civil penalties received under divisions (B)(1) to (4) of this section pursuant to actions brought upon the written request of the executive committee of the emergency response commission shall be credited to the emergency planning and community right-to-know fund created in section 3750.14 of the Revised Code. All civil penalties received under those divisions pursuant to actions brought upon the written request of a local emergency planning committee or fire department shall be credited to the special emergency planning fund created in section 3750.03 of the Revised Code of the district in which the violation occurred.

(C) Any action for injunction or civil penalties under division (A) or (B) of this section is a civil action governed by the Rules of Civil Procedure.

Effective Date: 12-14-1988