The bill amends section 6111.09 of the Revised Code to establish increased civil penalties for repeat violations related to the use, placement, or management of dredged material. It introduces a tiered penalty structure where individuals who violate section 6111.07 will face a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per day for violations. However, if the violation is linked to a breach of division (B) of section 6111.33, the penalties escalate to $10,000 for the first violation and $37,500 for each subsequent violation. Additionally, those who purposely violate sections 6111.10 or 6111.11 will incur a penalty of $50 for the first offense and up to $500 for each subsequent offense within a year.

The bill also outlines the enforcement process, stating that the attorney general must initiate action against violators upon request from the director of environmental protection. It mandates that half of the collected civil penalties be allocated to the environmental education fund, while the remainder will support the newly created water pollution control administration fund. This fund will be used to enhance the administration and enforcement of related regulations, with a cap of $750,000 on annual expenditures unless additional authority is granted by the controlling board. The existing section 6111.09 is repealed as part of this amendment.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 6111.09