(a) Any person who violates this chapter or any regulation implementing this chapter is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each violation. Acts of God, and acts of vandalism beyond the reasonable control of the operator, shall not be considered a violation. The civil penalty shall be imposed by an order of the supervisor upon a determination that a violation has been committed by the person charged, following notice to the person and an opportunity to be heard. The imposition of a civil penalty under this section shall be in addition to any other penalty provided by law for the violation. When establishing the amount of civil liability pursuant to this section, the supervisor shall consider, in addition to other relevant circumstances, (1) the extent of harm caused by the violation, (2) the persistence of the violation, and (3) the number of prior violations by the same violator.
(b) An order of the supervisor imposing a civil penalty shall be reviewable pursuant to Sections 3762 to 3771, inclusive. When the order of the supervisor has become final or has been upheld following exhaustion of the applicable review procedures, the supervisor may apply to the appropriate superior court for an order directing payment of the civil penalty.
(c) Any amount collected under this section shall be deposited in the Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Administrative Fund.
(Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 240, Sec. 18. Effective August 13, 2003.)