Prior to the adoption of the rules and regulations prescribed in subsection a. of section 5 of P.L. 1995, c.296 (C.13:1D-129), the department or a local governmental agency, upon the identification of a violation of an environmental law and upon a case-by-case basis, may utilize the criteria set forth in section 5 of P.L. 1995, c.296 (C.13:1D-129) to designate that violation as a minor violation and determine that the person responsible for that minor violation is eligible for the relief available under this act. In any such case, the department or local government agency, as the case may be, shall specify the time period which shall not exceed 180 days within which the responsible person shall correct the violation and achieve compliance. If compliance is achieved within that specified period, the department or local government agency shall not impose a penalty for the violation. If compliance is not achieved during that period due to a lack of required action by the department or a local government agency, then the compliance period shall be tolled until the department or local government agency takes such required action.
N.J.S. § 13:1D-131