Title 42The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§8431 Notice of violation; other general provisions

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 92— - POWERPLANT AND INDUSTRIAL FUEL USE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VII— - ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT › Part Part C— - Enforcement › § 8431

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When the Secretary finds someone is breaking the rules under this law, the Secretary must send a written notice that explains the violation in enough detail. Getting a notice does not erase responsibility for things done before the notice was sent. A company’s director, officer, or agent who willfully orders or does the wrongdoing can be punished separately from the company. They cannot be sent to prison under section 8432 unless they knew the company was not following the law or had already been told by the Secretary. Sections 8432 and 8433 do not apply to a Federal agency or its officers or employees acting in their official jobs.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §8431

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Whenever, on the basis of any information available, the Secretary finds that any person is in violation of any provision of this chapter, or any rule or order thereunder, the Secretary shall issue notice of such violation. Any notice issued under this subsection shall be in writing and shall state with reasonable specificity the nature of the violation.
(2)Paragraph (1) shall not be construed to relieve any person of liability under the other provisions of this chapter for any act or omission occurring before the issuance of notice.
(b)Any individual director, officer, or agent of a corporation who willfully authorizes, orders, or performs any of the acts or practices constituting in whole or in part a violation of this chapter, or any rule or order thereunder, shall be subject to penalties under this section without regard to any penalties to which the corporation may be subject, except that no such individual director, officer, or agent shall be subject to imprisonment under section 8432 of this title, unless he also knew of noncompliance by the corporation or had received from the Secretary notice of noncompliance by the corporation.
(c)
(d)The provisions of section 8432 and 8433 of this title shall not be construed to apply to any Federal agency or officer or employee thereof acting in his official capacity.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (b), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 95–620, Nov. 9, 1978, 92 Stat. 3289, known as the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 8301 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

1987—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–42 struck out subsec. (c) which read as follows: “No person shall be subject to any penalty under this part with respect to the operation of any powerplant in excess of that allowed by an exemption granted on the basis of the operation of such powerplant as a peakload powerplant if it is demonstrated to the Secretary that such operation was necessary to meet peakload demand and that other peakload powerplants within the same system as such powerplant— “(1) were unavailable for service— “(A) due to unit or system outages; or “(B) because operation of such other powerplants would result in their exceeding the hours of operation allowed under an exemption; and “(2) have not been operated other than to meet peakload demand.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 8431

Title 42The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73