Environment - Water Resources and Wetlands - Enforcement

The Department must now take certain actions before imposing civil or administrative penalties, adding a procedural step to the enforcement process.

The factors for assessing penalty amounts were updated to include the degree of cooperation with the Department and good faith efforts to address violations.

A new requirement was added for the Department to take specific actions before recovering penalties under subsections (A) or (C) of Section 9-320.

Clarification was added regarding which funds (clean water vs. private dam repair) receive penalty payments based on the type of violation.

Minor formatting changes to bill headers, committee report status, and section numbering were made to reflect the bill's progression through the legislative process.