(a) Any person who violates any provision of this chapter or any regulation, permit or order adopted or issued under this chapter, or any owner of land who knowingly permits such violations to occur on his land, shall be assessed a civil penalty not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars, to be fixed by the court, for each offense. Each violation shall be a separate and distinct offense and, in the case of a continuing violation, each day's continuance thereof shall be deemed to be a separate and distinct offense. The Attorney General, upon request of the commissioner, shall institute a civil action in the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford to recover such penalty.

(b) If any person violates any provision of this chapter or any regulation, permit or order adopted or issued under this chapter, the commissioner may request the Attorney General to bring an action in the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford to enjoin such person from such violation and to order remedial measures to prevent, control or abate pollution. If two or more persons are responsible for a violation of any provision of this chapter or any regulation, permit or order adopted or issued under this chapter, such persons shall be jointly and severally liable under this subsection.

(c) Any action brought by the Attorney General pursuant to this section shall have precedence in the order of trial as provided in section 52-191.

(P.A. 85-334, S. 4, 8; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 89-270, S. 1; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6.)

History: P.A. 88-230 replaced “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” with “judicial district of Hartford”, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 89-270 entirely replaced prior provisions limiting penalties to violations of final orders and applied penalty to violations of the chapter or any regulation, permit or order adopted or order issued thereunder, and added new provisions making landowners who knowingly permitted violations to occur subject to penalty and re actions by attorney general; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995.

Cited. 215 C. 82; 227 C. 175.

Cited. 19 CA 216. Section is civil in nature and applicable sanctions serve predominately remedial and compensatory interests. 71 CA 1.