---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 8431"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "8431"
heading: "Notice of violation; other general provisions"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/8431"
units:
  - "Chapter 92 — Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use"
  - "Subchapter VII — Administration and Enforcement"
  - "Part C — Enforcement"
---

# §8431. Notice of violation; other general provisions

- (a) **Notice of violation—**
  - (1) Whenever, on the basis of any information available, the [Secretary](/usc/42/8302.md?p=a-1) finds that any [person](/usc/42/8302.md?p=a-2) is in [violation](/usc/42/2000e–16a.md?p=c) of any provision of this chapter, or any rule or order thereunder, the [Secretary](/usc/42/8302.md?p=a-1) shall issue notice of such [violation](/usc/42/2000e–16a.md?p=c). Any notice issued under this subsection shall be in writing and shall [state](/usc/42/2021b.md?p=14) with reasonable specificity the nature of the [violation](/usc/42/2000e–16a.md?p=c).
  - (2) [Paragraph (1)](#a-1) shall not be construed to relieve any [person](/usc/42/8302.md?p=a-2) of liability under the other provisions of this chapter for any act or omission occurring before the issuance of notice.
- (b) **Individual liability of corporate personnel—** Any individual [director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5), officer, or agent of a [corporation](/usc/42/2297h.md?p=2) who willfully authorizes, orders, or performs any of the acts or [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) constituting in whole or in part a [violation](/usc/42/2000e–16a.md?p=c) 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](/usc/42/2297h.md?p=2) may be subject, except that no such individual [director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5), officer, or agent shall be subject to imprisonment under [section 8432 of this title](/usc/42/8432.md), unless he also knew of noncompliance by the [corporation](/usc/42/2297h.md?p=2) or had received from the [Secretary](/usc/42/8302.md?p=a-1) notice of noncompliance by the [corporation](/usc/42/2297h.md?p=2).
- (c) **Repealed. Pub. L. 100–42, § 1(c)(18), May 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 313—**
- (d) **Federal agencies—** The provisions of sections [8432](/usc/42/8432.md) and [8433](/usc/42/8433.md) of this title shall not be construed to apply to any [Federal agency](/usc/42/8302.md?p=a-25) or officer or employee thereof acting in his official capacity.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 95–620, title VII, § 721, Nov. 9, 1978, 92 Stat. 3333; Pub. L. 100–42, § 1(c)(18), May 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 313.)

## Notes

### 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.”