Bill aims to give communities a voice during EPA permitting process

Lawmakers that are pushing for this bill say it’ll give people more of a say on how facilities are handling pollution in their communities.

However, lawmakers that voted against the bill said the new updates could put harsh restrictions on smaller businesses.

Ariel Hampton with the Illinois Environmental Council said this legislation would hold facilities more accountable.

“Those who are responsible for the permitting process are able to consider the cumulative impacts of the pollution and not the facilities impact in isolation,” Hampton said.

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Every year, the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) issues a voting scorecard that grades members of the Illinois General Assembly on how they voted for bills affecting the environment.
Richard Chew is joined by Dany Robles, senior legislative director at the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC); he talks about IEC's 2026 Legislative Environmental Scorecard.