When, notwithstanding any request for a hearing or a pending appeal, any person fails to comply, within a reasonable time as established by order of the commissioner, with any requirement to discontinue, remove or otherwise abate or alleviate any condition found by the commissioner to constitute an imminent and substantial hazard to public safety or navigation or likely to cause imminent and substantial damage to the environment, the commissioner shall have authority to remove, abate or alleviate any such condition. The commissioner may assess reasonable costs and expenses incurred in such removal, abatement or alleviation against the person responsible. The Attorney General shall, at the request of the commissioner, institute proceedings to collect any such assessment. For the purposes of this section, in the event that the person responsible for causing, retaining or maintaining such condition cannot be determined, the littoral owner shall be deemed to be the responsible person except in the case of vessels abandoned on the property of such owner. Nothing in this section shall be construed to preclude the commissioner from exercising any other enforcement authority.
(P.A. 90-111, S. 5.)