Illinois — On Monday, the Trump Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers announced the Polluted Water Rule, which further restricts which bodies of water are protected from pollution and destruction under the Clean Water Act. In response, Illinois Environmental Council Chief Program Officer Lindsay Keeney released the following statement:
“Pollution flows downstream. By further restricting which bodies of water are protected from pollution under the Clean Water Act, the health of all of our water sources—both big rivers and lakes and small streams and wetlands—are threatened. By recklessly putting our clean water at risk, our drinking water and public health will be compromised, fish and wildlife habitats will be further threatened, and our blue economy will suffer. Kicking big problems downstream is the Trump administration’s modus operandi, but here in Illinois, we can do things differently.
“Here in Illinois, we’ve already lost 90 percent of our original wetlands, and we have to fight like hell for what remains. We need Governor Pritzker to join that fight and urge the Illinois General Assembly to pass a bill that would create a permitting program to protect clean water, save wildlife, and promote a healthy environment for future generations. We don’t have to kick our problems downstream – by passing state legislation to save Illinois wetlands (HB3596/SB2401), we can face them head on.”
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About IEC: Since 1975, the Illinois Environmental Council has worked to safeguard Illinois—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends by building power for people and the environment. Representing over 130 environmental organizations in the state, IEC carries out its mission to advance equitable public policies that create healthy environments across Illinois through education, advocacy, and movement building.