Northwest Environmental Defense Center v. Mid-Willamette Air Pollution Authority

519 P.2d 1271, 16 Or. App. 638, 1974 Ore. App. LEXIS 1248
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedMarch 18, 1974
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 519 P.2d 1271 (Northwest Environmental Defense Center v. Mid-Willamette Air Pollution Authority) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Northwest Environmental Defense Center v. Mid-Willamette Air Pollution Authority, 519 P.2d 1271, 16 Or. App. 638, 1974 Ore. App. LEXIS 1248 (Or. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

SCHWAB, C.J.

On this appeal from an order dismissing a petition for writ of review, two questions are presented. (1) When a governmental agency and a citizen disagree on whether the agency must conduct a contested case hearing before taking action, what is the proper court in which to resolve such a dispute? (2) When an agency plans to issue a permit, must the agency grant a contested case hearing to citizens who favor or oppose the issuance of the permit?

Cascade Steel Bolling Mills, Inc., operates a factory in McMinnville. As required by OBS ch 449, Cascade applied to the Mid-Willamette Valley Air Pollution Authority (MWVAPA) for an air contaminant discharge permit. MWVAPA then scheduled a public hearing to allow citizens to express views on Cascade’s application. The hearing was conducted by one of MWVAPA’s Board members, and as far as the present record discloses, all interested citizens were heard.

Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC), a nonprofit corporation, and some of its individual members who live near Cascade’s factory appeared by counsel at the MWVAPA hearing. Counsel moved that NEDC and its members be allowed to formally intervene in the MWVAPA proceedings. The thrust of *640 this motion was that NEDC wanted to be able to subpoena witnesses and records, and cross-examine witnesses. MWVAPA' denied the request to intervene, reasoning that the proceeding was an “informational” hearing rather than a “trial-type” hearing Like other citizens, NEDC members were able, to express their views during the MWVAPA hearing. They were, however, denied subpoena power and the ability to cross-examine. ' .

The MWVAPA Board member who had presided at the hearing recommended that Cascade’s permit application be granted. The full Board' of Directors met and NEDC’s counsel renewed the motion to intervene. Thé Board denied NEDC’s motion and approved the issuance of a permit to Cascade.'

. NEDC then initiated this writ of review proceeding seeking a determination • that the procedures followed by .MWVAPA in issuing Cascade’s permit were defective in that NEDC had not been permitted to subpoena or cross-examine. MWVAPA moved to quash NEDC’s petition for a writ of review. The trial court granted the motion to quash and dismissed the proceedings. NEDC appeals.

*641 Some . confusion arises in . this case because MWVAPA has made two separate. determinations. First, the agency denied NEDC’s request to intervene. Second, the agency granted a permit to Cascade. It should be emphasized that in this proceeding NEDC attacks only the first, i.e., attacks only the procedures MWVAPA followed in issuing Cascade’s permit. NEDC does not challenge the second, he., does not contend that on substantive grounds the issuance of the permit was invalid. Were that the case, different considerations would be involved.

In a written opinion the trial court concluded that it lacked jurisdiction over NEDC’s claim of invalid procedures:

“In the petition for a writ of review, petitioners allege that they requested intervention as a party and the right to exercise certain rights, but were denied the exercise of those rights and that the defendant acted ‘erroneously, in violation of Article I, Section 10 of the Oregon Constitution and the Rules and Regulations of the MWVAPA in refusing to grant rights.’
“Inasmuch as petitioners claim the right to be heard as a party and denial of constitutional rights, they have, on the face of the petition, brought themselves under the provisions of APA review of contested eases. Jurisdiction for that review is in the Court of Appeals.”

*642 The part of the petition for a writ of review referred to by the trial court reads:

“On or about June 12, 1973 * * * NEDC on behalf of itself and other named petitioners * * * [requested] leave to intervene in all proceedings before * * * [MWVAPA] regarding the application of Cascade Steel Rolling Mills, Inc. for an Air Contaminant Discharge Permit and requested] the right to appear, present and rebut testimony, subpoena records, cross-examine witnesses, and do each and every other thing allowed to full parties by law in administrative proceedings * *

The statute relied upon by the trial court, ORS 183.480 (2), reads:

“Jurisdiction for judicial review of contested eases is conferred upon the Court of Appeals, and the jurisdiction for judicial review of orders other than contested cases is conferred upon the Circuit Court for Marion County * *

The trial court erroneously interpreted the petition for a writ of review and the relevant statute. The petition did not allege that the MWVAPA proceedings were conducted as a contested case hearing. On the contrary, the essence of the claim advanced by the petition, albeit somewhat inartfully, was that the MWVAPA proceedings should have teen tut were not conducted as a contested ease hearing. NEDC’s claim of procedural irregularity stands or falls on the determination of whether MWVAPA should have held a contested case hearing.

Thus, the question is whether a given matter— issuance of a permit to Cascade — should or should not have been decided only after a contested case hearing. NEDC claims a contested case hearing was necessary. MWVAPA claims the contrary.

*643 OES 183.480 (2) requires that these conflicting claims be resolved in the circuit court. MWVAPA’s denial of NEDC’s request to convert the Cascade license application proceedings into a contested case hearing was an agency order within the meaning of OES 183.310 (4), which provides:

“ ‘Order’ means any agency action expressed verbally or in writing directed to a named person or persons * * * which grants, denies, modifies, suspends or revokes any [claimed] right or privilege of such person.”

OES 183.480 (2) requires that orders that have been preceded by a contested case hearing be reviewed in this court, and orders that have not been preceded by a contested case hearing be reviewed in the circuit court. Obviously, MWVAPA’s order that it would not hold a contested case hearing was not preceded by a contested case hearing on NEDC’s request.

While the circuit court was the proper forum in which to proceed in this case, a writ of review was not the proper manner in which to proceed. The judicial review provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act are exclusive. NEDC now concedes this in light of our recent decision in School Dist. No. 48 v. Fair Dis. App. Bd., 14 Or App 35, 512 P2d 799 (1973). NEDC asks, however, that we direct the trial court to disregard the caption on their pleading and treat it as a petition for judicial review pursuant to OES 183.480 (2). In view of our decision on the merits, it is unnecessary to consider whether it is possible for us to do so.

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Bluebook (online)
519 P.2d 1271, 16 Or. App. 638, 1974 Ore. App. LEXIS 1248, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/northwest-environmental-defense-center-v-mid-willamette-air-pollution-orctapp-1974.