SPRINGFIELD – To ensure Illinois maintains strong environmental and public health protections even if federal standards are weakened in the future, State Senator Laura Ellman championed a new law in an effort to safeguard clean air, water and more.
“Illinois families deserve clean air to breathe and safe water to drink regardless of changes happening at the federal level,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “This law will ensure our state can continue protecting public health and the environment instead of automatically rolling back standards whenever federal protections are weakened.”
House Bill 5070 will prohibit the Illinois Pollution Control Board from adopting standards that are less stringent than existing state regulations through the expedited “identical-in-substance” rulemaking process. The law will also apply to regulations concerning air pollution, water pollution, drinking water, hazardous waste and landfills.
Under current law, the Illinois Pollution Control Board is generally required to adopt certain federal environmental regulations through an expedited process when federal standards change. House Bill 5070 will clarify that Illinois cannot use that process to weaken existing state protections if federal regulations are rolled back.
The law will also standardize language throughout the Environmental Protection Act to reaffirm the state’s authority to adopt protections that are stronger than federal minimum standards.
“We have seen how quickly environmental protections can shift at the federal level depending on the administration in power,” said Ellman. “Illinois should not be forced to lower its standards and put communities at greater risk because of political changes in Washington.”
House Bill 5070 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1.
