Several pieces of environmental legislation are making their way through the Illinois General Assembly on what was scheduled to be the final week of the spring legislative session. The proposals range from shifting the state’s procurement requirements to a measure aimed at improving soil health on Illinois farms. But environmental advocates gave mixed reviews on the legislature’s environmental record so far this year.
“There was movement on a number of issues this year, but I have an overall level of disappointment,” Jen Walling, head of the Illinois Environmental Council, said on Wednesday afternoon. Jack Darin, head of the Sierra Club’s Illinois chapter, echoed Walling’s sentiment, noting that advocates will continue to push for further environmental reforms when the General Assembly comes back in the fall or in next year’s session.
“It’s looking like we’re going to have to wait for progress on a couple important issues,” he said.
Air pollution disproportionately impacts Black communities, according to research from Harvard University and the California-based Environmental Systems Research Institute. “These are communities that are not only overburdened but underpowered in a lot of ways,” Walling said.
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