Case Title: Secretary, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources v. Henry

Citation: 161 Vt. 556, 641 A.2d 1345

Docket Number: 

State: vermont

Court: Vermont Supreme Court

Date: 1994-04-22T00:00:00Z

Document:
SEC_VT_AG_NATURAL_RESOURCE_V_HENRY.93-605; 161 Vt. 556; 641 A.2d 1345

[Filed 22-Apr-1994]

 NOTICE:  This opinion is subject to motions for reargument under V.R.A.P.
 40 as well as formal revision before publication in the Vermont Reports.
 Readers are requested to notify the Reporter of Decisions, Vermont Supreme
 Court, 109 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05609-0801 of any errors in
 order that corrections may be made before this opinion goes to press.


                                 No. 93-605


 Secretary, Vermont Agency                    Supreme Court
 of Natural Resources
                                              On Appeal from
      v.                                      Environmental Law Division

 Leo R. & Nancy Henry                         February Term, 1994
 Greenwoods Tenants' Ass'n


 Merideth Wright, J.

 Jeffrey L. Amestoy, Attorney General, and Ron Shems and John H. Hasen,
    Assistant Attorneys General, Montpelier, for plaintiff-appellant

 Lila Shapero, Vermont Legal Aid, Inc., Burlington, for intervenors-appellees


 PRESENT:  Allen, C.J., Gibson, Dooley, Morse and Johnson, JJ.



      GIBSON, J.     The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) appeals a decision
 of the Environmental Law Division (ELD) vacating an administrative order of
 the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).  We reverse.
      In April 1993, DEC issued an administrative order requiring appellees
 Leo and Nancy Henry to apply for an Act 250 permit for their mobile home
 park and remove all existing tenants from the park by September 1993 and
 until the park was duly permitted.  The order was issued by Acting Commis-
 sioner Jack Long of DEC under 10 V.S.A. { 8008, pursuant to a letter of
 authorization from the Secretary of ANR, Charles Clarke.  The letter dele-
 gated to Long, among other powers and duties, "full authority to implement

 

 the compliance and enforcement provisions of 10 V.S.A. Chapters 201 and
 211."
      The Henrys appealed the order to the ELD.  The Greenwoods Tenants'
 Association, a group of mobile home owners at risk of losing their home-
 sites, intervened and moved for dismissal of the order on the basis that
 chapter 201 does not give the Secretary of ANR authority to delegate the
 issuance of administrative orders.  The ELD agreed with intervenors and
 vacated the order.
      The relevant provisions of chapter 201 are as follows:

              As used in this chapter:
              . . .

              (7) "Secretary" means the secretary of the agency of
           natural resources, or the secretary's duly authorized
           representative.

 10 V.S.A. { 8002(7).

               (a) The secretary may issue an administrative order
           when the secretary determines that a violation exists.
           . . .

 Id. { 8008(a)

      Also relevant is 3 V.S.A. { 214, which provides that "[a] secretary .
 . . may delegate any authority, power or duty other than a specific
 statutory authority of the office to a designee; . . . ." (Emphasis added.)
 The public trust requires that a state agency or department head may not
 delegate authority or duties that are "discretionary or quasi-judicial in
 character, or require the exercise of judgment," absent a statute expressly
 permitting such delegation.  In re Buttolph, 141 Vt. 601, 604-05,