LEBANON, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon ranching couple, fined nearly $18,000 for creating an illegal burn pile that included 40 dead animals, contested the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's penalty and won.

A judge reduced the fine to $3,000 because the burn was on residential property, some existing regulations were ambiguous, and the couple, first-time offenders, cooperated with DEQ to make amends, The Capital Press reported.

The state had issued a $17,869 fine in October 2019, alleging that Mark and Bethany Wahl, rancher-owners of Wahl Livestock LLC in Lebanon, had violated two Oregon la...