Thursday, March 27, 2014

Legislative Catch-ups

We haven’t run a legislative update in a long time! To make up for our lapse, here’s a long list of some what’s going on in the Illinois General Assembly this spring session. 

Water Pollution Control Loan

HB 4382

Synopsis:
  • An amendment to the Environmental Protection Act
  • Removes a provision requiring a local 30% match for total project cost for projects funded through grants
  • Allows the IEPA to provide financial assistance for any project eligible for assistance under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act

Status:
  • Introduced January 29, 2014
  • Placed on the House calendar for a second reading on March 26, 2014

Coal and Coke Regulation
HB 5939
Synopsis:
  • Is an amendment to the Environmental Protection Act
  • Regulates the storage, processing, and transloading of coal and coke
  • Requires minimum setbacks for coal and coke facilities (5,000 feet for the property line of a residence, childcare service, school, etc.)
  • Sets limits for fugitive dust from facilities
  • Requires permits for construction and operations of facilities
  • Regulates the loading, unloading, paving, and cleaning of facilities
  • Requires monitoring, recording keeping, and reporting to the IEPA

Status:
  • Introduced February 14, 2014
  • Assigned to the House Environment Committee in early March
  • Currently accumulating lots of co-sponsors

Nuisance Organisms
Synopsis:
  • An amendment to the Fish and Aquatic Life Code
  • Any individual who knowingly imports any nuisance organisms into Illinois is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor or a fine not exceeding $1,500 per organisms imported, maximum fine not to exceed $25,000
  • Nuisance organisms are nonnative aquatic organisms that could alter or threaten the ecosystem or native or naturalized fish and other organisms

Status:
  • Introduced February 14, 2014
  • Currently a floor amendment has kicked it back to the Rules Committee

Anything related to the Fox Waterway
Since the Fox Waterway seems to be stirring a lot of discussion in the General Assembly, we grouped all these measures together.

Synopsis:
  • Dissolves the Fox Waterway Agency Act
  • Dissolves the Fox Waterway Agency
  • Assigns assets and property to the Department of Natural Resources
  • Status:
  • Introduced January 28, 2014
  • Second reading was added to the Senate calendar on March 26, 2014

Synopsis:
  • Declares the House’s opposition to SB 2629

Status:
  • Introduced March 20, 2014
  • Adding co-sponsors at the moment

Synopsis:
  • Amendment to the Fox Waterway Agency Act
  • If any dredging or restoration work is done on the channel using public funds, then the water in the channel remains a public waterway open and accessible to the public
  • If only private funds are used for dredging and maintenance, then property owners adjacent to the channel have the right to close the channel to public access, so long as the closing is posted

Status:
  • Introduced and referred to Assignments January 28, 2014







Friday, March 14, 2014

Illinois Water 2014 Call for Sessions


As the snow melts and it seems like spring may someday arrive, it’s also time to start planning for our biennial Water Conference. Illinois Water 2014 is scheduled for this October 14 and 15 at the University of Illinois’s Illini Union. We have exciting plans for plenaries, student poster sessions, and a water careers panel, but we need your help to create an engaging and timely lineup of sessions and speakers. If you have a research project or concept you’ve been developing and you’d like an opportunity to present and discuss it with your peers, we invite you to submit a session proposal. We’ll be accepting proposals until March 28. Please see the Water 2014 website for more information on how to submit a session proposal or for help in developing your ideas.

Photo by Anjanette Riley