Illinois’ Environmental Protection System Deteriorates after 50 Years
In 1970, the Illinois state legislature passed one of the country’s first Environmental Protection Acts. It established three offices, the Pollution Control Board to legislate, the Institute for Environmental Quality for independent environmental research, and the Environmental Protection Agency as the enforcement arm conducting inspections and finding violations. In the last 15 years the EPA’s staff has been cut in half, the Institute for Environmental Quality has been eliminated, and the budget for the Pollution Control Board has been combined with the EPA’s budget. According to Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health at the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, the EPA is proposing rules and changes through the Pollution Control Board that will decrease the air quality in Illinois leading to increased risk of asthma and stroke. For more information read the full article from CU-CitizenAssess.org by Johnathan Hettinger.
Continue reading: WMC_newsletter_may2018
Kate Keets VM2021
WMC Conservation Chair
