COM. DEPT. OF ENV. RES. v. Jubelirer

614 A.2d 204, 531 Pa. 472, 1992 Pa. LEXIS 461
CourtSupreme Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 16, 1992
Docket65; 66; 65 and 66 M.D. Appeal Dockets 1989
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 614 A.2d 204 (COM. DEPT. OF ENV. RES. v. Jubelirer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
COM. DEPT. OF ENV. RES. v. Jubelirer, 614 A.2d 204, 531 Pa. 472, 1992 Pa. LEXIS 461 (Pa. 1992).

Opinions

OPINION

NIX, Chief Justice.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (“DER” or “Appellee”), on August 24,1989, filed a Petition for Review, an Application for Special Relief, and a Motion for Expedited Consideration of the Application for Special Relief. In the Petition for Review, the DER asked the Commonwealth Court to declare the Regulatory Review Act, Act of June 25, 1985, P.L. 633, as amended, 71 P.S. §§ 745.1-745.15, unconstitutional and to direct the Legislative Reference Bureau (“LRB”) to publish regulations adopted by the Environmental Quality Board (“EQB”), which the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (“IRRC”) had disapproved pursuant to the Regulatory Review Act and which the Senate had rejected when proposed to the General Assembly by the Governor.

[475]*475Appellants are all Commonwealth officials or bodies. They include the LRB and two of its officials, John Hartman and Gary Hoffman, and the IRRC and its five members. Appellants also include the Honorable Robert Jubelirer, President pro tempore of the Senate, Honorable D. Michael Fisher, Chairman of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, and the Senate of Pennsylvania (hereinafter “Senate” or “Senate Appellants”).

On September 7, 1989, the parties submitted to the Commonwealth Court a Stipulation of Counsel, with a Statement of Stipulated Facts and a Joint Application for Advancement of Argument and Argument En Banc. By order dated September 7, 1989, President Judge Crumlish granted the Joint Application and scheduled en banc oral argument. On September 8, 1989, President Judge Crumlish denied DER’s Application for Special Relief. Oral argument on cross-motions for summary judgment was heard on October 4, 1989.

On December 7, 1989, the Commonwealth Court (per Crumlish, J.), in a 3-2 decision: (1) granted DER’s motion for summary judgment; (2) denied all other motions for summary judgment; and (3) ordered the LRB to publish the regulations. Commonwealth, Department of Environmental Resources v. Jubelirer, 130 Pa.Commw. 124, 567 A.2d 741 (1989).

Appellants appealed from the Commonwealth Court’s order on December 13, 1989, triggering the automatic supersedeas of Pa.R.A.P. 1736(b). The DER immediately filed an Application to Vacate Automatic Supersedeas with the Commonwealth Court. Argument on the DER’s application was heard by President Judge Crumlish on December 14,1989, and, later on that same day, President Judge Crumlish issued an order vacating the Automatic Supersedeas and directing the LRB to publish the regulations. Senate Appellants filed an emergency Application to Reinstate Automatic Supersedeas with this Court on December 14, 1989.

This writer, on December 16,1989, reinstated the Automatic Supersedeas pending a hearing on Senate Appellants’ application. A hearing on the application was held December 20, 1989. On December 22, 1989, this writer issued an order [476]*476vacating President Judge Crumlish’s December 14,1989 order and granting Senate Appellants’ Application to Reinstate Automatic Supersedeas. — Pa.-, 614 A.2d 199 (1989). This order also listed the appeal for oral argument during the Supreme Court’s January Session 1990 and ordered an expedited briefing schedule.

History Relating to Regulatory Review Act

The Regulatory Review Act was enacted in 1982 by the General Assembly in order to “provide a procedure for oversight and review of regulations adopted [by administrative agencies] pursuant to [authority delegated by the General Assembly] to curtail excessive regulation and establish a system of accountability....” Section 2 of the Regulatory Review Act, 71 P.S. § 745.2. To perform this oversight function, the General Assembly created the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (“IRRC”) and empowered it to approve or to disapprove proposed regulations after weighing eleven criteria to determine whether they were in the public interest. Sections 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the Regulatory Review Act, 71 P.S. §§ 745.4, 745.5, 745.6 and 745.7. The Regulatory Review Act also contained a mechanism whereby the Governor and the General Assembly could review the IRRC decisions. Section 7(b) and (c), 71 P.S. § 745.7(b) and (c).

On October 5,1988, the EQB submitted to the IRRC and to the LRB proposed regulations to amend the DER’s air quality regulations. The proposed regulations would impose a Reid Vapor Pressure (“RVP”) volatility limitation of 9.0 psi on all gasoline sold or exchanged in the Commonwealth from May 1 through September 1 beginning in 1990. The proposed regulations were published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on October 15, 1988.

The IRRC disapproved the proposed regulations on November 2, 1988 and issued an order barring their final publication. The DER requested, and the IRRC granted, an extension until December 1, 1988 for the DER to respond to the IRRC’s initial disapproval of the proposed rules. On December 1, 1988, the DER resubmitted the proposed regulations, without [477]*477modification but with a letter purporting to provide additional justification. The IRRC again disapproved the rules and continued its order barring publication.

Pursuant to the oversight authority given the Governor in Section 7(b) of the Regulatory Review Act, 71 P.S. § 745.7(b), on January 23, 1989, Governor Casey sent a report to the General Assembly proposing that the regulations be adopted. On February 1, 1989, the IRRC declined to reconsider its disapproval and continued its order barring publication. The IRRC forwarded a report on the proposed regulations to the General Assembly for consideration, along with the Governor’s proposal.

On March 22, 1989, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) adopted RVP standards for all fifty states, ranging from 9.0 psi to 10.5 psi in particular states and parts of states. The standard adopted for Pennsylvania was 10.5 psi and became effective June 1, 1989. 54 Fed.Reg. 11883, 11884 (1989). Under Section 211 of the Clean Air Act, this federal standard pre-empts any state standard, unless the EPA finds such state standard necessary to achieve national ambient air quality standards and waives pre-emption. 42 U.S.C. § 7545(c)(4)(C) as amended Nov. 15, 1990, Pub.L. 101-549, Title II § 213(b).

Public hearings on the proposed DER regulations were held by the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and the House Conservation Committee. A report of the Committee Chairman was distributed to the full Senate. On April 12, 1989, the Senate rejected the Governor’s proposal to approve the regulations.

The EQB nevertheless adopted the regulations on April 18, 1989. The DER then transmitted the regulations to the Office of General Counsel for review as required by Section 301 of the Commonwealth Attorneys Act, Act of October 15, 1980, P.L. 950, as amended, 71 P.S. § 732-301. The Office of General Counsel approved the regulations for legality and form. The office of General Counsel then forwarded the regulations to the Attorney General, whose review and approval is an additional requirement for all agency rulemaking [478]*478under Section 204(b) of the Commonwealth Attorneys Act, 71 P.S. § 732-204(b).

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COM. DEPT. OF ENV. RES. v. Jubelirer
614 A.2d 204 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1992)

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Bluebook (online)
614 A.2d 204, 531 Pa. 472, 1992 Pa. LEXIS 461, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/com-dept-of-env-res-v-jubelirer-pa-1992.