Legislative Round-up of the General Assembly Spring Session

The Illinois General Assembly recessed at the end of May, so here’s a summary of water-related measures that progressed through Springfield this spring:

Updates on past bills: please see the March blog post for summaries of these measures

Water Pollution Control Loan

HB 4382

Passed in the House, referred to assignments in the Senate on April 7

Coal and Coke Regulation

HB 5939

Acquired several co-sponsors within the House of Representatives

Nuisance Organisms

HB 5869

Passed both houses on May 28

Fox Waterway

SB 2696—no changes

HR 0934—was placed on the House Calendar Order of Resolutions on 4.8.14

SB 2732—no changes

Recent Legislation

Hydraulic Fracturing:

SB 649

Synopsis:

• Amends the Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act, which was signed into law by Governor Quinn last year
• Some changes to the regulations governing the hydraulic fracturing process, including a two-year moratorium on fracking around Chicago
• Remove the responsibility of creating fracking rules from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and give it to a committee comprised of General Assembly members.
• For media coverage of this measure, see here

Status:

• Passed the Senate on 5.1.2014 and progressed to the House
• The House re-referred this measure to the Rules Committee on 5.30.2014

Boater Safety Courses:

SB 3433

Synopsis:

• Amends the Boat Registration and Safety Act
• Beginning January 1, 2016 no person born on or after January 1, 1991 can operate a motorboat with over 10 horse power without a Boating Safety Certificate

Status:

• Passed both houses on 30 May, 2014

Public Water Supply Operations:

SB 2770

Synopsis:

• Amends the Public Water Supply Operations Act
• Defines “Responsible Operator in Charge”
• Provides that every community water supply in Illinois shall have a responsible operator in charge to supervise the treatment and distribution facilities of the community water supply

Status:

• Passed both houses on 29 May, 2014

Water Loss Accounting:

SB 3047

Synopsis:

• Creates the Water Loss Accounting Awareness Act
• Provides that the IEPA, IDNR, and ISWS shall submit a report that reviews and evaluates the latest regional available information on water loss in Illinois to the General Assembly before July 31, 2015

Status:

• Introduced on February 7, 2014
• Currently referred to the Senate Assignments Committee

Illinois Water Related Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants

The following is a list of possible future funding sources available to students from and in Illinois. If your organization is not listed here and you would like to be included, please contact us.

Illinois Only:

• The Illinois Water Environment Association awards two annual $1,000 scholarships to students preparing for careers in the water environment. Applications are accepted December 1, 2014 until January 31, 2015. Scholarships are awarded at the IWEA Annual Conference in March. Full information can be found on IWEA’s website.
• The Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association provides a variety of scholarships, including undergraduate, adult continuing education, and high school enrichment. While the 2015 scholarships are not open, yet, the application deadline is usually January 31. Complete information can be found here.
• The Illinois Groundwater Association provides small research grants on a biannual basis to both graduate and undergraduate students attending a college or university in Illinois. Research must address topics relevant to Illinois groundwater and grant recipients can present their research findings at IGA meetings.
• The Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts provides a $500 award to agriculture students enrolled in an Illinois state college. Applications are due in May and awarded for the fall semester.
• The Illinois Lakes Management Association offers an Undergraduate/Graduate scholarship of $1,000 for students enrolled in an Illinois college or Illinois residents attending college in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, or Wisconsin and studying lake or watershed related topics. They also provide the Robert Esser Student Achievement Scholarship for $500, which is offered to Illinois residents attending Illinois colleges. Both applications are due December 31. Full information about both scholarships is available here.
• Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is offering a $500 scholarship opportunity for students enrolling in their one-year Water Quality Control Operations Program. This scholarship is offered through the Environmental Resources Training Center for any relative of a water or wastewater professional. The program begins August 19^th, so applications can be filed online here.

National or International:

• The Society of Wetland Scientists provides student research grants of up to $1,000 to both undergraduate and graduate members of the organization. Grant applications are not currently being accepted, but check back for updates. Application packages require a proposal, budget, curriculum vitae, and two letters of recommendation.
• The Ivanhoe Foundation provides small fellowships to Masters students from developing countries conducting water related research in the United States. Applications include a description of the projects and a nomination letter from the student’s professor.
• The American Water Works Association provides information about a myriad of (mostly) graduate level scholarships. Deadlines vary, but for those of you interested in drinking water or water supply, make sure you take a good look at their Scholarship page.
• The American Water Resources Association makes two $2,000 scholarships to one graduate and one undergraduate student members of AWRA. Applications are due in April. Awards are based on academic performance, research, and water-related extra-curricular activities.
• Funding of up to $7,000 per year can be potentially awarded to an undergraduate mechanical or chemical engineering student that demonstrates interest to seek a career in the water technology field. Through the International Water Conference, the Joseph A. Levendusky Memorial Scholarship is available to any student of sophomore or higher class standing in an accredited U.S. institution. The deadline is September 5, 2014 and applications can be found here.