Illinois EPA budget continues state progress to improve air, land and water quality

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Rod R. Blagojevich has recommended a Fiscal Year 2007 budget for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) that will continue the state's progress the past three years in improving air quality, cleaning up contamination, and ensuring clean and safe water resources, while streamlining regulations and providing more information to Illinois residents.

 

The recommended operating budget for the IEPA is approximately $334.4 million, an increase from $329 million in the current fiscal year.  IEPA's budget is almost entirely supported by permit and other regulatory fees, and federal grants. The budget includes $2,047,400 for operations of the Illinois Pollution Control Board.

 

"This budget will ensure the continuation of the progressive environmental initiatives under Governor Blagojevich that are vital for the health, quality of life, and economic vitality of our citizens, at virtually no cost to Illinois taxpayers," said Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott.  "It also increases our ability to help River communities in their efforts to revitalize business districts and neighborhoods."

 

Including in the capital budget for IEPA is a new initiative proposed by Gov. Blagojevich designed to help revitalize riverfront areas across the state by providing communities, developers and businesses with the critical tools to revive and redevelop abandoned or contaminated properties that will stimulate economic development opportunities and create more Illinois jobs. The proposed River Edge Redevelopment Initiative includes the designation of redevelopment zones across Illinois that will be eligible to receive tax credits, exemptions grant funding to support clean-up, remediation and redevelopment efforts that will lead to economic revitalization in these areas.  This initiative combines resources across state agencies and will be administered primarily by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).  In FY 07, Illinois EPA will receive an additional $5 million in a capital appropriation to implement the "Rivers Edge Municipal Brownfields Grant Program."  Municipalities that have received a "River Edge Redevelopment Zone" designation would be able to apply for grants. The grants would be used to provide funds to municipalities to demolish dilapidated buildings, which often have lead-based paint, asbestos and other hazardous waste issues that need to be addressed. Each designated municipality would be eligible to receive up to $2 million to investigate and remediate brownfield sites within the Zone. It fills a need to stabilize and prepare a site for private development or for overall community revitalization. 

 

Illinois has one of the most aggressive brownfields and voluntary site cleanup programs in the nation; this standing will continue.  Additional financial and technical assistance will be available for municipalities and developers across the state to clean up and redevelop "brownfields" sites—former industrial and commercial sites with potential contamination. 

 

Illinois EPA programs will continue to clean up contaminated land.  The agency will hire additional inspectors to implement the Governor's "Illinois Removes Illegal Dumps," or "IRID," initiative enacted last year, to make sure landfills, including those handling construction and demolition debris, operate properly and to address open dumping. The initiative is funded through a portion of the fees on landfills.

 

The Fiscal Year 2007 recommended budget includes an increase to pay reimbursement claims to underground storage tank owners for costs associated with cleaning up contamination from leaking underground storage tanks.  Additional revenues will come from removing the exemption from Leaking Underground Storage Tank tax and Environmental Impact Fee for fuel transported out of state.  Now, Illinois taxpayers end up "assuming the risk" for fuel that is moved to another state.  This tax should reduce the cost to Illinois consumers who already pay this tax.

 

Initiatives the IEPA will continue to pursue in Fiscal Year 2007 to ensure cleaner air include Governor Blagojevich's proposal to require coal-fired power plants to reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent by 2009; developing additional strategies to meet more stringent health standards for smog and soot; continuing to encouraging the use of environmentally-friendly fuels; and reducing harmful diesel emissions from school buses and other sources.

 

The Governor's Safe and Healthy Schools Initiative will also continue to be funded, providing additional pickups of hazardous materials and assistance in protecting school environments.

 

IEPA will continue to safeguard and improve our water resources, including additional source water and groundwater protection efforts, such as the Governor's Mississippi River Initiative, the new phosphorus discharge limits for larger wastewater treatment plants, and assisting communities in meeting more stringent federal radium and arsenic standards for drinking water.

 

"Besides protecting our vital environmental resources, Illinois EPA will continue to implement efficiencies that strengthen Governor Blagojevich's commitment to making government more responsive and accountable, such as Internet-based interactive databases using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology, for both citizens and the regulated community, as well as continuing its streamlining, including making all Agency forms available online," added IEPA Director Doug Scott.

 

IEPA is the state agency responsible for implementing and enforcing state and federal laws and regulations that protect the outdoor environment and public health.  The agency regulates several thousand industrial, municipal, wastewater and public water supply facilities, and also responds to chemical releases and other environmental emergencies. 

 

 

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