Iyana Simba: “One-eighth of all the lead service lines in the nation are here in Illinois. So we have about 667,000 that are accounted for. And that’s in addition to hundreds of thousands that are unknown material. Um, that puts about 350,000 children at risk of lead exposure today in Illinois.” (0:42-1:01) “We cannot delay […]
Opinion by Jen Walling Illinois is home to more than one million lead service lines, the highest state total in the nation. While efforts to replace these aging and harmful pipes are underway, completing such a massive undertaking will take years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set a national deadline of 2037 for full
Protect families from lead contamination Read More »
Lead removal experts have long believed Illinois had the nation’s biggest network of lead water lines. But last month an Environmental Protection Agency report suggested that Florida’s inventory of lead lines (an estimated 1.16 million) exceeds our 1.04 million lines. Illinois Environmental Council’s Iyana Simba and others find that ranking dubious. Simba tells Axios there are hundreds of thousands
Illinois may harbor second-worst lead problem in U.S. Read More »
Inspired by her parents’ work ethic and commitment to community and family, Cook County Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Commissioner (MWRD) Kim Du Buclet is on a mission to protect the county’s fresh water systems, save monarch butterflies and fight the effects of climate change. Though she has no direct role in the delivery
Water Commissioner Du Buclet says water is the ‘new gold’ Read More »
As we look ahead to the spring session, we will be working with the new General Assembly on key environmental priorities, while protecting environmental programs from budget cuts against a challenging fiscal environment.
New House Speaker, New 2021 Legislative Session Begins Read More »
The Illinois Environmental Council stands in strong support of the Black Caucus in these efforts, and encourages the General Assembly to take up this legislative agenda in the coming lame duck session.
In Solidarity with the Legislative Black Caucus Agenda Read More »
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
Preventing Lead in Drinking Water Passes! Read More »
