Indiana Air Pollution Control Board v. City of Richmond

457 N.E.2d 204, 20 ERC 1747, 20 ERC (BNA) 1747, 1983 Ind. LEXIS 1071
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 30, 1983
Docket1283S472
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 457 N.E.2d 204 (Indiana Air Pollution Control Board v. City of Richmond) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Indiana Air Pollution Control Board v. City of Richmond, 457 N.E.2d 204, 20 ERC 1747, 20 ERC (BNA) 1747, 1983 Ind. LEXIS 1071 (Ind. 1983).

Opinion

PIVARNIK, Justice.

This cause comes to us on a petition to transfer from the Indiana Court of Appeals. The City of Richmond (City) brought action against the Indiana Air Pollution Control Board (APCB) seeking to prevent final promulgation of the "rule" classifying Wayne township as a "nonat-tainment" area. The Wayne Cireuit Court entered summary judgment in favor of the City. The Court of Appeals, Fourth District, reversed the decision of the trial court. Indiana Air Pollution Control Board v. City of Richmond, (1983) Ind. App., 443 N.E.2d 1262.

The question presented for our review is whether the classification of areas as attainment or nonattainment by the APCB constituted administrative adjudication or whether it constituted rule making. We feel the Court of Appeals erred in holding that the classification constituted rule making; accordingly, we grant transfer, vacate the opinion of the Court of Appeals, and affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The fact situation as related by the Court of Appeals reads as follows:

On April 23, 1980, a representative of the [APCB] held a public hearing in Indianapolis regarding proposed amendments to two existing regulations, namely the attainment and nonattainment status of certain areas under its standards for ambient air quality. Evidence was presented concerning the existence of violations in Wayne Township of Wayne County. After the hearing concluded, the hearing officer recommended Wayne Township be designated "nonattainment."
The [APCB] later adopted the hearing officer's recommendation. A "nonattainment" area is one in which airborne pollutants have reached impermissible levels.
The City then filed its complaint seeking to prevent the final promulgation of the "rule" classifying Wayne Township as "nonattainment." The [APCB] moved to dismiss the complaint on the basis it had properly promulgated a rule; thus, the City had no standing to bring the action. The trial court denied the motion to dismiss. The City then moved for summary judgment and it was granted."

Upon appeal, the Court of Appeals reversed the trial court's decision granting summary judgment. The City then petitioned this Court for transfer.

325 Ind.Adm.Code 1.1-2 et seq. (Supp. 1982) establishes "ambient air quality standards to the extent necessary to protect public health and welfare, and which are consistent with the intent and provisions of the Indiana Air Pollution Control Law." 325 IAC 1.1-2-1 (Supp.1982). It is conceded that the adoption of these standards was a matter properly handled by administrative rule making. The issue involved here concerns the APCB's order, 825 IAC 1.1-8-2(b)(5), which found that Wayne Township violated the ambient air quality standards established by 825 IAC 1.1-2, thereby declaring the Township "nonattainment" for sulphur dioxide levels. The City contends that this finding was not a proper subject for administrative rule making, but rather, was an administrative adjudication subject to the hearing and judicial review procedure of the Indiana Administrative Adjudication Act, Ind.Code § 4-22-1-1 et seq. *206 (Burns Repl1982). The Board maintains that 825 IAC 1.1-8-2(b)(5) was a classification and, pursuant to Ind.Code § 4-22-2-8, properly constituted rule making. The Court of Appeals found that a nonattainment classification is a rule after reviewing federal cases (New Jersey v. United States Environmental Protection Agency, (D.C.Cir.1980) 626 F.2d 1038; City of Waco v. Environmental Protection Agency, (5th Cir.1980) 620 F.2d 84; United States Steel Corp. v. United States Emvironmental Protection Agency, (5th Cir.1979) 595 F.2d 207) interpreting the Federal Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 551 et seq. (1976).

We agree with the City that state and federal statutes and procedures differ, and that the regulatory schemes of the two jurisdictions differ. Our Indiana Code defines a "rule" and an "administrative adjudication" as follows:

"The word 'rule' means any rule, regulation, standard, classification, procedure, or requirement of any agency, designed to have or having the effect of law or interpreting, supplementing or implementing any statute, but does not include resolutions or directions of any agency relating solely to internal policy, internal agency organization or internal procedure which do not have the force of law and does not include 'administrative adjudication.'
'Administrative adjudication' means the administrative investigation, hearing and determination by any agency of issues or cases applicable to particular parties."

Ind.Code § 4-22-2-8 (Burns Repl.1982)

An administrative agency must follow the procedures outlined for it and the law which establishes the agency; an administrative agency can have no more or less power than the statute creating it grants. Gordon v. Review Board of Indiana Employment Security, (1981) Ind.App., 426 N.E.2d 1364. The Indiana Environmental Management Act, Ind.Code § 13-7-1-1 to 18-7-18A-6 (Burns Repl. 1981 and Supp.1983), created the Environmental Management Board (Board). The powers and duties of the APCB were not affected by this Act, Ind.Code § 18-7-2-9 (Burns Repl1981), although the "establishment of priorities and coordination of the functions and services of such agencies [such as the APCB and the stream pollution control board] are hereby conferred on the [Bloard." Id. Under its enforcement provisions, "[the [BJoard or an agency, or a designated member of the staff of the [BJoard or an agency, on receipt of information of any alleged violation of this article or of any regulation or standard adopted hereunder, may initiate an investigation." Ind.Code § 18-7-11-1 (Burns Repl. 1981). A succeeding section, Ind.Code § 18-7-11-8, holds that all hearings under this article shall be held in accordance with the Administrative Adjudication Act, Ind. Code § 4-22-1-1 to 4-22-1-80.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission v. Lebamoff Enterprises, Inc.
27 N.E.3d 802 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2015)
Town of Leo-Cedarville v. Indiana Alcoholic Beverage Commission
754 N.E.2d 1041 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2001)
Blinzinger v. Americana Healthcare Corp.
466 N.E.2d 1371 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1984)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
457 N.E.2d 204, 20 ERC 1747, 20 ERC (BNA) 1747, 1983 Ind. LEXIS 1071, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/indiana-air-pollution-control-board-v-city-of-richmond-ind-1983.