Illinois Chapter Holds Training on State Legislative Issues

March 2017

Illinois State Capitol

Each year, your Illinois Chapter Sierra Club state office holds training on issues coming up in the Illinois Legislature. While it is difficult to understand how other issues continue and no state budget is approved, other state House and Senate bills continue. Below is a listing of Chapter legislative issues as of the first week of March, however, additional issues are in review and are likely to be added to the listing of Sierra Club bills for support this session. Of particular interest to Peoria area residents are bills regarding private water companies. More information regarding the bills below will be available on the Illinois Chapter Sierra website Legislation page.

Heart of Illinois Group Sierra is also supporting Rep. Ryan Spain’s House Bill 0462 and Sen. Chuck Weaver's Senate Bill 1536. These bills regard privately held water utilities and that they should provide their annual report to the Illinois Commerce Commission with specific information on each municipal source they serve. Rep. Spain also has HB 0463, with Sen. Chuck Weaver sponsoring the Senate version in SB 1537 concerning pricing of water assets by a water utility or water distribution company and its properties regarding purchase by an Illinois governmental entity. It provides that the determination of value or purchase price for the Illinois governmental purchaser may not penalize or increase the value or price to be paid based on specific characteristics of the purchaser and has other specifics regarding the fair market value of the water assets. 

Illinois Chapter Sierra Club Lobby Training Day Listing (preliminary listing for session as all bills are not yet with numbers or known):

BUDGET

  • Renewable Energy R Fund protecting  funds for Illinois Solar for All.

CONSERVATION-WILD ILLINOIS

  • Milkweed bill (HB685 Moeller)(Bush pre-file). This bill will protect milkweed from being listed as a noxious weed by municipalities so that home-owners and others can establish Monarch Butterfly gardens and plant milkweed, the main food source necessary for Monarch larvae to survive.

CLEAN WATER

  • CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operation) bills (Manar, Koehler, maybe Bennett)

    Amends the IDOA Livestock Facility Management Act: calls for a fix to the facility expansion loophole, creates county zoning authority, calls for setbacks from public drinking water supplies (still working on language -- may include more).
    Amends IEPA Environmental Protection Act: calls for registration of all CAFO facilities and creates a state operating permit program.

  • Coal Tar Sealant ban (HB2958 Fine)(Biss pre-file in Senate) -- same bill as before with the addition of prohibiting all sealants with a particular level of PAHs (the bad stuff in coal tar).

ENERGY

  • Solar-ready construction bill (Stuart-H), (L. Murphy-S). Still working on language, but will basically require new construction be ready to install solar PV and thermal.

Other bills to watch will include (but not limited to):

  • HB2816 (Sente) recycled construction materials
  • Sen. Bush energy transition bill
  • EJ stormwater bill
  • SB974 (Morrison) no drilling permits on public land
  • HB2532 (Moeller) eminent domain pipelines
  • HB3835 (McAsey) pipeline insurance

These are issues that HOI members can support in letters and calls to their state Senators and Representatives. Join in the Monday April 3rd HOI Letter Writing night 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to write to your state legislators about these issues.