After months of intense activity, the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session came to a screeching halt May 31, 2011. Prairie Rivers Network and our colleagues worked until the end to pass S.B. 1682, a bill that would establish a permit fee for livestock operations that discharge pollution into a river or stream. Unfortunately, legislator absences prevented the bill from being called to a vote in the House.
Earlier in May, the bill had easily passed out of the Executive Committee on a 9-2 vote. But opponents of the bill distracted legislators from the core issue at hand by calling into question the need for permits. The political sway and lobbying power of agribusiness was evident.
We will continue working on this issue. It is completely fair for livestock operations to pay fees for their permits just like all other polluters. This bill came into being because Prairie Rivers Network was appalled to find out that livestock operations have this unique exemption. Illinois EPA needs fee income to cover the cost of their Clean Water Act regulatory program for confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs or “factory farms”). A fee exemption is no longer appropriate now that over 28 operations have permits. As Illinois EPA discovers more livestock operations that discharge pollution, the associated regulatory burden is likely to grow in the coming years.
Prairie Rivers Network would like to thank the following organizations for working with us on this bill: Environment Illinois, Illinois Citizens for Clean Air & Water, Illinois Environmental Council, and Environmental Law & Policy Center. Max Muller of Environment Illinois led the lobbying effort and spent countless hours talking with legislators and other organizations about the bill. In addition, the bill was supported by Illinois EPA, Illinois Association of Wastewater Agencies, Sierra Club, Food & Water Watch, Faith in Place, and Illinois Stewardship Alliance. One of our most important allies in this effort were the citizen members of Prairie Rivers Network and the above organizations who took the time to call their legislators. And finally, we want to thank the bill sponsor, Representative Michael Tryon of Crystal Lake, and co-sponsors (Cole, Gabel, Biss, Davis, May, Jakobsson, Cassidy, Currie).
