Court Opinion

ID: 9535969
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 06:52:12.140079+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:33:24.128529
License: Public Domain

THOMAS, Justice,
concurring specially, with whom GOLDEN, Justice, joins.
The majority opinion reverses the judgment of the trial court upon a finding of federal preemption in this instance. I agree with the result and rationale of the majority in this regard. Because the ground for reversal is federal preemption, it is not necessary to address other issues in the majority opinion.
In their briefs and arguments, the parties debated whether the State can seek injunctive relief pursuant to the provisions of Wyo.Stat. § 35-11-901 (1988). That statute provides:
(a) Any person who violates, or any director, officer or agent of a corporate permittee who willfully and knowingly authorizes, orders or carries out the violation of any provision of this act, or any rule, regulation, standard or permit adopted hereunder or who violates any determination or order of the council pursuant to this act or any rule, regulation, standard, permit, license or variance is liable to either a penalty of not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) for each day during which violation continues, or, for multiple violations by surface coal mining operations, a penalty of not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) for each violation for each day during which the violation continues, which may be recovered in a civil action, and the person may be enjoined from continuing the violation as hereinafter provided.
(b) Except for surface coal mining operations, damages are to be assessed by the court. For surface coal mining operations, all notices for abatement and cessation orders shall be reported to the director. The director shall:
(i) Issue a notice of assessment, if a cessation order was issued;
(ii) Make a determination on whether a notice of assessment will be issued, if a notice for abatement was issued.
(c) Upon issuance of a notice of abatement or cessation order, the director shall inform the operator of the proposed amount of the penalty within thirty (30) days. The amount shall be determined in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the council. The person charged with the penalty shall have fifteen (15) days to request a conference with the director for informal disposition of any dispute over either the amount of the penalty or the occurrence of the violation.
(d) If a conference is held and after the director has determined that a violation did occur and the amount of the penalty which is warranted, the person charged with the penalty shall, within fifteen (15) days, either:
(i) Pay the proposed penalty in full; or
(ii) Petition the council for review of either the amount of the penalty or the fact of the violation, submitting a bond equal to the proposed amount of the penalty at the time of filing the petition. The bond shall be conditioned for the satisfaction of the penalty in full, or as modified by the council, if the director’s determination as to the occurrence of the violation and the assessment of a penalty are affirmed. The petition is effective when the bond is approved by the council. If the bond is not approved, the person charged with the penalty has ten (10) days to forward the proposed amount to the council for placement in an escrow account in order to make the petition effective.
(e) If a conference is not requested, the person charged with the penalty has thirty (30) days to take the action described in subsection (c) of this section.
(f) After a petition is effective, the council shall hold a hearing, which shall be conducted as a contested case proceeding, as required by the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act [§§ 16-3-*1315101 through 16-3-115]. The council shall either:
(i) Determine the occurrence of the violation and the amount of penalty which is warranted for the purpose of ordering that the penalty be paid; or (ii) Determine that no violation occurred, or that the amount of penalty should be reduced. If such a determination is made either through administrative or judicial review, the director shall within thirty (30) days remit the appropriate amount to the person, if any deposit has been made, with interest at the rate of six percent (6%), or at the prevailing department of the treasury rate, whichever is greater. Failure to file an effective petition shall result in a waiver of all legal rights to contest the violation or the amount of the penalty.
(g) Any person aggrieved or adversely affected in fact by a final decision of the council pursuant to this section is entitled to judicial review in accordance with the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act.
(h) Any person who violates this act, or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder, and thereby causes the death of fish, aquatic life or game or bird life is, in addition to other penalties provided by this act, liable to pay to the state, an additional sum for the reasonable value of the fish, aquatic life, game or bird life destroyed. Any monies so recovered shall be placed in the general fund of Wyoming, state treasurer’s office.
(j) Any person who willfully and knowingly violates, or any director, officer or agent of a corporate permittee who willfully and knowingly authorizes, orders or ' carries out the violation of any provision of this act or any rule, regulation, standard, permit, license, or variance or limitations adopted hereunder or who willfully violates any determination or order of the council or court issued pursuant to this act or any rule, regulation, standard, permit or limitation issued under this act shall be fined not more than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) per day of violation, or imprisoned for not more than one (1) year, or both. If the conviction is for a violation committed after a first conviction of such person under this act, punishment shall be by a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,-000.00) per day of violation or by imprisonment of not more than two (2) years, or both.
(k)Any person who knowingly makes any false statement, representation or certification in any application, record, report, plan or other document filed or required to be maintained under this act or who falsifies, tampers with, or knowingly renders inaccurate any monitoring device or method required to be maintained under this act, shall upon conviction, be fined not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) or imprisoned for not more than one (1) year, or both.
(m) Any person who shall, except as permitted by law, willfully resist, prevent, impede, or interfere with the director, any administrator, or any of their agents in the performance of duties in the regulation of surface coal mining operations shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than one (1) year in county jail, or both.
(n) Any operator of a surface coal mining operation who fails to correct a violation within the period permitted for its correction, or after a final order or decision issues requiring correction when either the department or a court has relieved the operator from the abatement requirements of the notice or order, shall be assessed a civil penalty of not less than seven hundred and fifty dollars ($750.00) for each day during which the failure or violation continues.
(o) Except as provided in subsection (p)of this section, nothing in this act shall be construed to abridge, limit, impair, create, enlarge or otherwise affect substantively or procedurally the right of any person to damages or other relief on account of injury to persons or property and to maintain any action or other appropriate proceeding therefor.
(p) Any person who is injured in his person or property through the violation *1316by any operator of any rule, regulation, order or permit issued pursuant to this act as it provides for the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation in accordance with the requirements of P.L. 95-87 [30 U.S.C. § 1201 et seq.] may bring an action for damages (including reasonable attorney and expert witness fees) only in the judicial district in which the surface coal mining operation complained of is located.
(q) All actions pursuant to this article shall be brought in the county in which the violation occurred or in Laramie county by the attorney general in the name of the people of Wyoming. All actions pursuant to this article for the enforcement of any program to administer the provisions of W.S. 35 — 11— 301(a)(iii) and (v) pursuant to the authority delegated under W.S. 35-11-304 may also be brought by the county attorney in the county in which the violation occurred. (Emphasis added.)
The State relies upon the emphasized language of Wyo.Stat. § 35-ll-901(a) to justify seeking injunctive relief under the statute.
In my opinion, Hermes Consolidated, Inc., correctly points out that nothing contained in the statute following subdivision (a) serves to justify the claim for injunctive relief pursuant to this statute. I would hold that the avenue to injunctive relief is found by pursuing the procedure to arrive at a cease and desist order set forth in Wyo.Stat. § 35-11-701. I believe that this is a logical extension of the rationale found in People v. Fremont Energy Corp., 651 P.2d 802 (Wyo.1982), which is limited to a suit to recover penalties. If there is no compliance with the cease and desist order, the State appropriately could seek judicial enforcement by an action for an injunction. I would also reverse the decision of the trial court as to the injunctive relief for the reason that Wyo.Stat. § 35-11-901 does not authorize the injunctive relief sought and obtained by the State.