The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) of the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
is the primary body concerned with the protection of the environment for the state. The Illinois EPA's mission is "to safeguard environmental quality, consistent with the social and economic needs of the State, so as to protect health, welfare, property and the quality of life."
Its stated goals are to:
* Provide leadership to chart a new course for clean air which is responsive to relevant needs in Illinois and complies with priority aspects of the
Clean Air Act Amendments
The Clean Air Act (CAA) is the United States' primary federal air quality law, intended to reduce and control air pollution nationwide. Initially enacted in 1963 and amended many times since, it is one of the United States' first and most infl ...
.
* Address outstanding
solid
Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by structural ...
and
hazardous waste management concerns and participate, as appropriate, in the national deliberations on reauthorization of the
hazardous waste program.
* Utilize creative means to address the priority needs for clean and safe water in Illinois and participate, as appropriate, in the national deliberations on reauthorization of the
water programs.
* Enhance capability to fund environmental cleanup, when necessary, and to provide better service for private party actions.
* Promote
pollution prevention and
market-based approaches for continued environmental progress.
* Develop an environmental planning capability which emphasizes risk-based analysis, good science and sound data, and open communication and informed participation.
The current acting director of the Illinois EPA is John J. Kim.
History
The Illinois EPA was established in July 1970, shortly after the first
Earth Day.
Governor Richard Ogilvie signed into law the Illinois Environmental Protection Act (PA ), which became effective on July 1, 1970, and created the Illinois EPA. Illinois was the first US state with a comprehensive environmental protection act. This was the same year that the
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...
was created.
U. S. EPA History
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Structure
The agency's headquarters is located in Springfield, with a laboratory in Springfield, and field offices centered in Champaign
Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...
, Marion Marion may refer to:
People
*Marion (given name)
*Marion (surname)
*Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion"
*Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992)
Places Antarctica
* Mario ...
, Elgin, Rockford, Moline, Des Plaines
Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 60,675. The city is a suburb of Chicago and is located just north of O'Hare International Airport. It is situated on and is named after the ...
, Collinsville, and Peoria. The Illinois EPA is composed of three main Bureaus:
* Bureau of Air
**Division of Air Pollution Control - ''"to improve air quality by identifying air pollution problems, proposing appropriate regulations to control or reduce air contaminants, conducting inspections and reviewing permit applications to assure compliance with existing air pollution regulations"''
**Division of Mobil Source Programs - ''"to enforce vehicle emission limitations"''
* Bureau of Land
**Division of Land Pollution Control - ''"to ensure that hazardous and nonhazardous wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner and to implement regulatory programs such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Solid Waste program"''
** Division of Remediation Management - ''"for administering cleanup programs for hazardous waste sites (including Superfund), leaking underground storage tanks, and used tires"''
* Bureau of Water
**Division of Water Pollution Control - ''"to identify sources of water pollution and implement steps to abate the pollution"''
**Division of Public Water Supply - ''"to protect the public from disease and to assure an adequate supply of pure water for all beneficial uses"''
There are also offices designed to assist both industry and the public in the areas of pollution prevention, community relations, and environmental justice
Environmental justice is a social movement to address the unfair exposure of poor and marginalized communities to harms from hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses.Schlosberg, David. (2007) ''Defining Environmental Justic ...
.
See also
*Climate change in Illinois
Climate change in Illinois encompasses the effects of climate change, attributed to man-made increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, in the U.S. state of Illinois.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that the climate of Il ...
*List of ecoregions of Illinois
The list of ecoregions in Illinois are lists of terrestrial ecoregions (see also, ecosystem) of the United States' State of Illinois, as defined separately by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and by the World Wildlife Fu ...
References
External links
Illinois EPA website
Illinois Pollution Control Board
– the Illinois EPA's "sister" agency which adopts environmental rules and regulations, adjudicates enforcement actions, processes permit denial appeals, and hears variance petitions
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Environmental Protection
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...
State environmental protection agencies of the United States
Environmental organizations based in Illinois