(415 ILCS 5/7) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1007)

Sec. 7. Public inspection; fees.

(a) All files, records, and data of the Agency, the Board, and the Department shall be open to reasonable public inspection and may be copied upon payment of reasonable fees to be established where appropriate by the Agency, the Board, or the Department, except for the following:

(i) information which constitutes a trade secret;

(ii) information privileged against introduction in judicial proceedings;

(iii) internal communications of the several agencies;

(iv) information concerning secret manufacturing processes or confidential data submitted by any person under this Act.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) above, as to information from or concerning persons subject to NPDES permit requirements:

(i) effluent data may under no circumstances be kept confidential; and

(ii) the Agency, the Board, and the Department may make available to the public for inspection and copying any required records, reports, information, permits, and permit applications obtained from contaminant sources subject to the provisions of Section 12 (f) of this Act; provided that upon a showing satisfactory to the Agency, the Board or the Department, as the case may be, by any person that such information, or any part thereof (other than effluent data) would, if made public, divulge methods or processes entitled to protection as trade secrets of such person, the Agency, the Board, or the Department, as the case may be, shall treat such information as confidential.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Title or any other law to the contrary, all emission data reported to or otherwise obtained by the Agency, the Board or the Department in connection with any examination, inspection or proceeding under this Act shall be available to the public to the extent required by the federal Clean Air Act, as amended.

(d) Notwithstanding subsection (a) above, the quantity and identity of substances being placed or to be placed in landfills or hazardous waste treatment, storage or disposal facilities, and the name of the generator of such substances may under no circumstances be kept confidential.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Title, or any other law to the contrary, any information accorded confidential treatment may be disclosed or transmitted to other officers, employees or authorized representatives of this State or of the United States concerned with or for the purposes of carrying out this Act or federal environmental statutes and regulations; provided, however, that such information shall be identified as confidential by the Agency, the Board, or the Department, as the case may be. Any confidential information disclosed or transmitted under this provision shall be used for the purposes stated herein.

(f) Except as provided in this Act neither the Agency, the Board, nor the Department shall charge any fee for the performance of its respective duties under this Act.

(g) All files, records and data of the Agency, the Board and the Department shall be made available to the Department of Public Health pursuant to the Illinois Health and Hazardous Substances Registry Act. Expenses incurred in the copying and transmittal of files, records and data requested pursuant to this subsection (g) shall be the responsibility of the Department of Public Health.

(Source: P.A. 92-574, eff. 6-26-02.)