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 HB 1522 and What's All This About Stormwater Utility Fees?

We’ve been tracking the progress of HB 1522, or the stormwater utility fees bill, this spring. Now that this measure has passed both houses and is on the desk of Governor Quinn, we’re delving into what stormwater utility fees are, and what they might mean for Illinois residents.

What are stormwater utility fees?

A stormwater utility manages the rainwater running off houses, driveways, roadways, parking lots, and buildings of a municipality. Just as the electrical utilities charge for their product, so the stormwater utility relies on a fee for managing the extra runoff of a city. Since a local government usually manages the stormwater utility, the fee is often regarded as an additional tax. However, since the fee is charged for use of the utility, Illinois courts have ruled it a fee that even traditionally tax-exempt organizations like churches and schools must pay.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning provides an extensive overview of stormwater utilities here.    

How much will it cost?

That largely depends on the funding structure adopted by your municipality. Champaign, IL, where several IWRC staff members happen to live, is using a graduated system based on the square footage of the impervious surface of a residence. For example, a home having between 500 and 6000 sf of impervious surface (including the driveway, deck, patios, etc.) will pay $4.94 a month, while homes between 6001 sf and 8000 sf will pay $10.55 per month. Any building other than a single family home will be billed $1.51 per 1000 sf per month. The City of Bloomington, IL charges fees based on the square footage of a property, and, for larger properties, even relies on aerial photography to determine how much runoff a property contributes. Some areas, like Bay County in Florida, have opted to charge a simple flat, annual fee of between $40 and $200. Since HB 1522 applies to DuPage and Peoria counties, it’s up to those counties to decide how the fees will be structured.  

Is there a way to reduce the fee?

HB 1522 included language directing counties to provide fee credits for property improvements that decrease stormwater or improve water quality. In Champaign, these improvements can include things like rain barrels, rain gardens, and green roofs. Bay County, FL waives the fee for qualified senior citizens, disabled veterans, and disabled persons, while Minneapolis, MN applies credits for either water quality or quantity improvements from actions like installing ponds or pervious pavement.

If your school wants to create a rain garden as part of their stormwater reduction efforts, check out this small grant program for some help.       

  

Water Jobs: Making Plans

Abby Crisostomo, an associate at the of the Metropolitan Planning Council, joins us today to discuss what it’s like to be a planner in the non-profit world. Abby grew up in Duluth, Minnesota but moved to Chicago to attend the University of Chicago and stayed to earn her master’s at the University of Illinois at Chicago. When not working hard to save water in Chicagoland, Abby enjoys swing dancing and chatting with @IllinoisWater on twitter.   

Would you please explain what an Associate with the Metropolitan Planning Council does?

MPC is a small organization without too much hierarchy, so everyone ends up doing a lot of different types of work. Associates handle much of the day-to-day management of our various projects. MPC does research, advocacy and on-the-ground implementation, so daily work can vary wildly from doing research to convening partners to coordinating meetings to site visits to writing reports and blog posts to attending conferences and giving presentations, and more.

How did you end up at the Metropolitan Planning Council?

I interned here while I was in grad school and loved what I was doing. I stayed on past the internship period to do my master’s project, and ended up getting hired full-time just as I was completing my degree.

How did you become interested in planning?

I’ve always been interested in the interdisciplinary nature of planning. Growing up, I always thought I’d go into law, as I thought that was the only way to get such a broad exposure to issues, but then I discovered planning while in undergrad taking a class from the urban sociologist, Saskia Sassen. I spent the rest of my undergrad years trying to learn more about what planning was. After graduation, I moved to New York City to work at a law firm, but on the side, I got involved with my local community association. I went to events by an organization similar to MPC in NYC (Municipal Arts Society), and took classes through Rutgers’ planning school and New York University’s real estate school. When I moved back to Chicago, I worked at the Alliance for the Great Lakes for a few years, which reignited interest I had in water issues and environmental policy, so I knew I wanted to go back to grad school to combine all those things.

What kind of education does a planner need?

Planners do such varied jobs, that there’s no one-size-fits-all path. It’s pretty standard to get a master’s degree in planning, public policy, public administration, architecture, or a specific policy topic (such as, environmental policy). Beyond that, on-the-job experience through internships is almost, if not more, important.