Advocates Celebrate Step Forward for Wetlands Protection
Strong Support Turns Out for Today’s House Committee Vote
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Wetlands
Legislative Business is Heating Up in the Halls of the State Capitol
Our legislative team at IEC has been hard at work making sure bill sponsors have the tools and public support they need to move our environmental priorities forward this session.
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5 Ways to Plug In To the Legislative Session
The legislative session has started! This guide breaks down how you can advocate for stronger environmental protection in Illinois.
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Wild Ones: Building Power at Wild Things
Sergio Vargas represented IEC at the Wild Things Conference in Southern Illinois. He’s energized and optimistic about the state of conservation, knowing we have such a powerful community willing to join the fight.
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What Illinois Animal are You?
Illinois is home to hundreds of iconic animals. Who are you? Find your birth month to discover more about your critter.
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Illinois Wetlands Are At Risk As Federal Protections Vanish. Will State Move To Protect Them?
The Environmental Council’s conservation director Lindsay Keeney said despite opposition from the Farm Bureau, some Illinois farmers have expressed support for protections.
“Nature-based solutions – cheap, easily investible solutions, like wetlands – can store floodwater and maintain their soil health and keep their fields from flooding,”
Illinois Rewilding Law, first in US, a step toward state wetland protection
Lindsay Keeney, conservation director at the Illinois Environmental Council, explained that restoring native ecosystems helps Illinois weather more extreme and frequent flood events.
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How Big Ag thwarted wetlands protections in Illinois and Iowa
Two years ago this week, the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. the Environmental Protection Agency significantly limited the agency’s ability to use the 1972 Clean Water Act to safeguard the nation’s wetlands from pollution and destruction. The decision determined that wetlands — waterlogged habitats that help filter water and sequester carbon — must be
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Empowering Environmental Champions: 2024 Legislative Tours
To educate decision-makers on the importance of environmental stewardship, we connect them with experiences that demonstrate the real-world impacts of their votes in the General Assembly.
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Illinois Wetlands Protection Act Letter to Gov. Pritzker
Illinois wetlands are vulnerable because unlike Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, Illinois lacks a comprehensive state wetlands program. Illinois has already lost 90% of the state’s wetlands since the 1800s.
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2024 Environmental Legislative Update
Early Wednesday morning, days after its scheduled adjournment date of May 24, the Illinois General Assembly passed the state budget and concluded the Spring legislative session. Going into an election year with an expected budget deficit, we anticipated that it would be more challenging than usual to pass critical pieces of legislation this session. Despite
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2024 Environmental Legislative Update
Today is the scheduled adjournment day of the regular legislative session. However, as of this morning, it became clear that leading members of the House and Senate are planning for state budget-centered discussions to carry on this evening and into the weekend. We are also seeing an increase in internal caucus meetings, which are causing
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2024 Environmental Legislative Update
Both the House and the Senate were in and conducting business this week as we move closer to the final days of this year’s regular legislative session. While next Friday is the scheduled adjournment day of the regular legislative session, we anticipate that discussions centered on the budget will take some time and could take
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Protecting Chicago’s Wetlands
Wetlands–home to a dazzling array of plants and animals–stand between us and some of the worst effects of climate change. Advocates in Chicago urge decision-makers to implement policy solutions to protect these incredible ecosystems.
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2024 Environmental Legislative Update
Both the House and the Senate were in and conducting business this week as we move closer to the final weeks of this year’s regular legislative session. Many bills were granted extended deadlines for advancing through the legislative process, and some important pieces of the Illinois Environmental Legislative Agenda continue to move through the legislative
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2024 Environmental Legislative Update
While both the House and the Senate were in this week, both chambers have until Friday, May 3, to vote bills out of committee. (Unofficially – they may extend the deadline until next week!) Some important pieces of the Illinois Environmental Legislative Agenda continue to move through the legislative process. We had some key wins
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2024 Environmental Legislative Update
Legislators were back in session again this week to conduct business, and pieces of the Illinois Environmental Legislative Agenda continue to move through the legislative process. Additionally, we enjoyed being joined this week by University of Illinois students advocating for environmental bills, including one of their own! Protecting Illinois’ Wetlands Protecting wetlands remains a top
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2024 Environmental Legislative Update
Legislators are getting to business this session, and pieces of the Illinois Environmental Legislative Agenda are starting to move through the legislative process.
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Sen. Ellman, Rep. Moeller, Community Advocates Announce Legislation to Protect Illinois Wetlands After U.S. Supreme Court Overreach
(Springfield, IL) – Today, Illinois Senator Laura Ellman (District 21) and State Representative Anna Moeller (District 43) joined forces with community advocates to announce the “Wetlands and Small Stream Protection Act” – new legislation protecting Illinois waters in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that rolled back crucial federal safeguards in the Clean
Illinois environmentalists push for state action to protect wetlands after Supreme Court ruling rolls back federal rules
Across the country, marshes, swamps and bogs quietly soak up flood water and filter pollutants. Ecologists agree they are one of the best natural defenses against climate change. But after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, more than half of the country’s 118 million acres of wetlands, according to estimates from the environmental firm Earthjustice, will