CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $14,772,472 in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants for Illinois EPA (IEPA). The funding, split across two separate grants, will support IEPA’s mission to provide a clean, livable environment and clean air and water sources for Illinoisans.
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“Illinoisans deserve safe air to breathe and clean water to drink. Illinois EPA works diligently each day to make that a reality by preventing and addressing environmental threats,” said Durbin. “These significant resources that EPA has allocated to our state supports IEPA’s efforts to address environmental concerns and protect Illinois’ natural resources through data-driven and transparent enforcement and compliance initiatives.”
“When we protect and clean up Illinois’s air and water, we are protecting the health and safety of our communities,” said Duckworth. “As co-founder of the Senate’s first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus, I’m proud to see the Biden Administration make this commitment to help ensure families across Illinois have the cleaner air and water they need and deserve.”
EPA’s Performance Partnership Grant awarded $14,768,317 in federal funding to IEPA, which will go toward streamlining IEPA operations and strengthening the partnership between EPA and the state. The funding will also support statewide programs within the Bureaus of Air, Water, and Land, including conducting inspections, issuing permits, reporting data, monitoring air and water quality, and taking enforcement actions.
The federal funding awarded through EPA’s Section 106 Monitoring Initiative, totaling $4,155, will assist IEPA in its program to maintain, protect, and improve the water quality of its rivers, lakes, streams, and groundwater. IEPA’s efforts contribute to the collection of publicly-available reports on water conditions throughout the nation.
