The Price of Climate Change
Midwestern farmers are paying the price of climate change
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Clean Water
2019 IEC Legislative Report
IEC is pleased to release our 2019 Legislative Report. We are proud to report that we advanced a broad and ambitious agenda, defeated potentially damaging legislation and secured important appropriations in the state budget.
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Illinois House and Senate Pass Landmark Legislation to Clean up Coal Ash
Bill addresses coal ash impoundments plaguing the state for decades Springfield, IL — Yesterday, the Illinois Legislature passed SB9, The Coal Ash Pollution Prevention Act, which now heads to the Governor’s desk. The groundbreaking bill addresses the many waste pits filled with coal ash, the toxic byproduct of burning coal, located all over the state. Illinois is
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General Assembly Sends Water Jobs Infrastructure Bill to Governor’s Desk
Clean Water Jobs for All Legislation Lays Groundwork for Thousands of New Jobs SPRINGFIELD, IL — Today, the Illinois State House of Representatives voted to approve Clean Water Jobs for All legislation (SB 2146/HB 3349), which creates the Clean Water Workforce Pipeline Program. The program provides training and resources for careers in water infrastructure and
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Cannabis Legalization Bill Passes with Nation-leading Environmental Protections
Illinois Poised to Enact the ‘Greenest’ Cannabis Legislation in U.S. SPRINGFIELD, IL — Today, the Illinois State House of Representatives voted to pass HB1438, a bill legalizing the regulated, recreational use of cannabis that now includes nation-leading environmental and public health protections. The Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) partnered with the University of Chicago’s Abrams Environmental
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Governor Pritzker’s First 100 Days
The Governor of Illinois has significant influence over environmental programs and policy, as well as if, and how, the state leads on these issues. This being the case, IEC welcomed the election of Governor Pritzker, whose campaign promised 100% renewable energy, clean air protections and recognized the importance of our water resources. Now that we
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Bill Prohibiting Illinois From Regulating Carbon Pollution Repealed
State can now go beyond the federal government to take action on climate change SPRINGFIELD — On Thursday, March 28th, the Illinois State House of Representatives voted to repeal the Kyoto Protocol Act of 1998, a law prohibiting the state from creating restrictions for the “purpose of addressing the adverse effects of climate change which in
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State Legislators, Stakeholders Announce Major Milestone for “Clean Water Jobs for All” Legislation
SPRINGFIELD — Today, State Sen. Ram Villivalam and State Rep. Justin Slaughter were joined by environmental and labor leaders from across Illinois to announce support for their Clean Water Jobs for All legislation (SB 2146/HB 3349). Sen. Ram Villivalam, sponsor of SB 2146, said, “With the Clean Water Jobs for All legislation, we aren’t just
The Critical Need for Water Infrastructure Funding
It is past time for dedicated capital funding for water infrastructure to ensure every Illinoisan has access to clean, affordable water.
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SB 1226 Endangers Safe Drinking Water & Public Health
Rich Miller | Capitol Fax Illinois continues to reel from the fatal outbreak of legionella at the Quincy Veterans’ Home. School and park districts are scrambling to address troubling levels of lead in water lines and drinking fountains. Now the House is considering a radical measure that would eliminate longstanding protections that ensure the proper
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Committee Deadline Week
Friday, April 13th is the final deadline for bills to get out of committee in both chambers. It was a mixed week in Springfield for IEC: while many of the proposals we support advanced towards passage, others very bad proposals moved forward despite our strong opposition. Bills that do not get out of committee by
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What will IEC be up to in 2018
The 2018 state legislative session began February, 30th 2018. With the Primary Election scheduled for March 20, session days are light between now and March. With continued threats to the environment coming from the federal level, we will be working harder than ever to defend existing protections and push environmental justice priorities in our 2018
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Staff Feature: Lindsay Keeney
By Lindsay KeeneyDownstate Outreach Director, Illinois Environmental Council You can’t protect something you don’t love. Nurtured in central Illinois creek beds that had a tendency to banish a nice pair pair of school clothes straight to the dirty clothes pile, I love water. Geography gifted me the chance play, fish and study water from an
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Legislator Feature: State Representative Carol Ammons
IEC is excited to release our first “Legislator Feature” on our blog! Through this series, we hope to share with our supporters how legislators think about environmental issues, and what areas they are specifically interested in. For this entry, we are pleased to interview State Representative Carol Ammons. Representative Carol Ammons is serving her second
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Preventing Lead in Drinking Water Passes!
The Illinois General Assembly approved SB550, or the Preventing Lead in Drinking Water bill. Because there is no safe level of lead in drinking water, IEC has worked hard over the past year to pass legislation that would require basic steps to protect children from lead poisoning. This bill is now on the way to
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The High Cost of Cheap Meat
As an organization that has been working to solve the pollution crisis caused by concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Illinois for years, we applaud the Chicago Tribune’s recent in-depth investigative report on large hog confinements. Few could read this piece without gasping at the stories of environmental pollution, animal abuse, and destruction of rural
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IEC EnviroNews (Summer 2015)
Find the full PDF online here or scroll down to read 40th Anniversary Dinner 2015 Legislative Report Illinois Clean Jobs Bill update Air permit bill Summary of recycling and waste bills Bobcat hunting bill passes
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IEC Newsletter Vol. 5 No. 4
Find the full PDF online here or scroll down to read. Update on hazardous waste bills Report of potential threat to Rock Island Trail Statehouse report Clean water plans await approval List of upcoming events List of legislature votes
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