HB2366 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 08969 BDA 19024 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB2366

Introduced 2/4/2025, by Rep. Barbara Hernandez

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

415 ILCS 5/4

from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1004

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that the Agency shall (rather than may) adopt rules requiring the electronic submission of any information required to be submitted to the Agency pursuant to any State or federal law or regulation or any court or Board order. Requires the rules adopted under this provision to take effect no later than January 1, 2030.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning safety.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by changing Section 4 as follows:

(415 ILCS 5/4) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1004)

Sec. 4. Environmental Protection Agency; establishment; duties.

(a) There is established in the Executive Branch of the State Government an agency to be known as the Environmental Protection Agency. This Agency shall be under the supervision and direction of a Director who shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The term of office of the Director shall expire on the third Monday of January in odd numbered years, provided that he or she shall hold office until a successor is appointed and has qualified. For terms beginning after January 18, 2019 (the effective date of Public Act 100-1179) and before January 16, 2023, the Director's annual salary shall be an amount equal to 15% more than the Director's annual salary as of December 31, 2018. The calculation of the 2018 salary base for this adjustment shall not include any cost of living adjustments, as authorized by Senate Joint Resolution 192 of the 86th General Assembly, for the period beginning July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2019. Beginning July 1, 2019 and each July 1 thereafter, the Director shall receive an increase in salary based on a cost of living adjustment as authorized by Senate Joint Resolution 192 of the 86th General Assembly. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for terms beginning on or after January 16, 2023, the Director shall receive an annual salary of $180,000 or as set by the Governor, whichever is higher. On July 1, 2023, and on each July 1 thereafter, the Director shall receive an increase in salary based on a cost of living adjustment as authorized by Senate Joint Resolution 192 of the 86th General Assembly. The Director, in accord with the Personnel Code, shall employ and direct such personnel, and shall provide for such laboratory and other facilities, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. In addition, the Director may by agreement secure such services as he or she may deem necessary from any other department, agency, or unit of the State Government, and may employ and compensate such consultants and technical assistants as may be required.

(b) The Agency shall have the duty to collect and disseminate such information, acquire such technical data, and conduct such experiments as may be required to carry out the purposes of this Act, including ascertainment of the quantity and nature of discharges from any contaminant source and data on those sources, and to operate and arrange for the operation of devices for the monitoring of environmental quality.

(c) The Agency shall have authority to conduct a program of continuing surveillance and of regular or periodic inspection of actual or potential contaminant or noise sources, of public water supplies, and of refuse disposal sites.

(d) In accordance with constitutional limitations, the Agency shall have authority to enter at all reasonable times upon any private or public property for the purpose of:

(1) Inspecting and investigating to ascertain possible violations of this Act, any rule or regulation adopted under this Act, any permit or term or condition of a permit, or any Board order; or

(2) In accordance with the provisions of this Act, taking whatever preventive or corrective action, including but not limited to removal or remedial action, that is necessary or appropriate whenever there is a release or a substantial threat of a release of (A) a hazardous substance or pesticide or (B) petroleum from an underground storage tank.

(e) The Agency shall have the duty to investigate violations of this Act, any rule or regulation adopted under this Act, any permit or term or condition of a permit, or any Board order; to issue administrative citations as provided in Section 31.1 of this Act; and to take such summary enforcement action as is provided for by Section 34 of this Act.

(f) The Agency shall appear before the Board in any hearing upon a petition for variance or time-limited water quality standard, the denial of a permit, or the validity or effect of a rule or regulation of the Board, and shall have the authority to appear before the Board in any hearing under the Act.

(g) The Agency shall have the duty to administer, in accord with Title X of this Act, such permit and certification systems as may be established by this Act or by regulations adopted thereunder. The Agency may enter into written delegation agreements with any department, agency, or unit of State or local government under which all or portions of this duty may be delegated for public water supply storage and transport systems, sewage collection and transport systems, air pollution control sources with uncontrolled emissions of 100 tons per year or less and application of algicides to waters of the State. Such delegation agreements will require that the work to be performed thereunder will be in accordance with Agency criteria, subject to Agency review, and shall include such financial and program auditing by the Agency as may be required.

(h) The Agency shall have authority to require the submission of complete plans and specifications from any applicant for a permit required by this Act or by regulations thereunder, and to require the submission of such reports regarding actual or potential violations of this Act, any rule or regulation adopted under this Act, any permit or term or condition of a permit, or any Board order, as may be necessary for the purposes of this Act.

(i) The Agency shall have authority to make recommendations to the Board for the adoption of regulations under Title VII of the Act.

(j) The Agency shall have the duty to represent the State of Illinois in any and all matters pertaining to plans, procedures, or negotiations for interstate compacts or other governmental arrangements relating to environmental protection.

(k) The Agency shall have the authority to accept, receive, and administer on behalf of the State any grants, gifts, loans, indirect cost reimbursements, or other funds made available to the State from any source for purposes of this Act or for air or water pollution control, public water supply, solid waste disposal, noise abatement, or other environmental protection activities, surveys, or programs. Any federal funds received by the Agency pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited in a trust fund with the State Treasurer and held and disbursed by him in accordance with Treasurer as Custodian of Funds Act, provided that such monies shall be used only for the purposes for which they are contributed and any balance remaining shall be returned to the contributor.

The Agency is authorized to promulgate such regulations and enter into such contracts as it may deem necessary for carrying out the provisions of this subsection.

(l) The Agency is hereby designated as water pollution agency for the state for all purposes of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended; as implementing agency for the State for all purposes of the Safe Drinking Water Act, Public Law 93-523, as now or hereafter amended, except Section 1425 of that Act; as air pollution agency for the state for all purposes of the Clean Air Act of 1970, Public Law 91-604, approved December 31, 1970, as amended; and as solid waste agency for the state for all purposes of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, Public Law 89-272, approved October 20, 1965, and amended by the Resource Recovery Act of 1970, Public Law 91-512, approved October 26, 1970, as amended, and amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, (P.L. 94-580) approved October 21, 1976, as amended; as noise control agency for the state for all purposes of the Noise Control Act of 1972, Public Law 92-574, approved October 27, 1972, as amended; and as implementing agency for the State for all purposes of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-510), as amended; and otherwise as pollution control agency for the State pursuant to federal laws integrated with the foregoing laws, for financing purposes or otherwise. The Agency is hereby authorized to take all action necessary or appropriate to secure to the State the benefits of such federal Acts, provided that the Agency shall transmit to the United States without change any standards adopted by the Pollution Control Board pursuant to Section 5(c) of this Act. This subsection (l) of Section 4 shall not be construed to bar or prohibit the Environmental Protection Trust Fund Commission from accepting, receiving, and administering on behalf of the State any grants, gifts, loans or other funds for which the Commission is eligible pursuant to the Environmental Protection Trust Fund Act. The Agency is hereby designated as the State agency for all purposes of administering the requirements of Section 313 of the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986.

Any municipality, sanitary district, or other political subdivision, or any Agency of the State or interstate Agency, which makes application for loans or grants under such federal Acts shall notify the Agency of such application; the Agency may participate in proceedings under such federal Acts.

(m) The Agency shall have authority, consistent with Section 5(c) and other provisions of this Act, and for purposes of Section 303(e) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, to engage in planning processes and activities and to develop plans in cooperation with units of local government, state agencies and officers, and other appropriate persons in connection with the jurisdiction or duties of each such unit, agency, officer or person. Public hearings shall be held on the planning process, at which any person shall be permitted to appear and be heard, pursuant to procedural regulations promulgated by the Agency.

(n) In accordance with the powers conferred upon the Agency by Sections 10(g), 13(b), 19, 22(d) and 25 of this Act, the Agency shall have authority to establish and enforce minimum standards for the operation of laboratories relating to analyses and laboratory tests for air pollution, water pollution, noise emissions, contaminant discharges onto land and sanitary, chemical, and mineral quality of water distributed by a public water supply. The Agency may enter into formal working agreements with other departments or agencies of state government under which all or portions of this authority may be delegated to the cooperating department or agency.

(o) The Agency shall have the authority to issue certificates of competency to persons and laboratories meeting the minimum standards established by the Agency in accordance with Section 4(n) of this Act and to promulgate and enforce regulations relevant to the issuance and use of such certificates. The Agency may enter into formal working agreements with other departments or agencies of state government under which all or portions of this authority may be delegated to the cooperating department or agency.

(p) Except as provided in Section 17.7, the Agency shall have the duty to analyze samples as required from each public water supply to determine compliance with the contaminant levels specified by the Pollution Control Board. The maximum number of samples which the Agency shall be required to analyze for microbiological quality shall be 6 per month, but the Agency may, at its option, analyze a larger number each month for any supply. Results of sample analyses for additional required bacteriological testing, turbidity, residual chlorine and radionuclides are to be provided to the Agency in accordance with Section 19. Owners of water supplies may enter into agreements with the Agency to provide for reduced Agency participation in sample analyses.

(q) The Agency shall have the authority to provide notice to any person who may be liable pursuant to Section 22.2(f) of this Act for a release or a substantial threat of a release of a hazardous substance or pesticide. Such notice shall include the identified response action and an opportunity for such person to perform the response action.

(r) The Agency may enter into written delegation agreements with any unit of local government under which it may delegate all or portions of its inspecting, investigating and enforcement functions. Such delegation agreements shall require that work performed thereunder be in accordance with Agency criteria and subject to Agency review. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no unit of local government shall be liable for any injury resulting from the exercise of its authority pursuant to such a delegation agreement unless the injury is proximately caused by the willful and wanton negligence of an agent or employee of the unit of local government, and any policy of insurance coverage issued to a unit of local government may provide for the denial of liability and the nonpayment of claims based upon injuries for which the unit of local government is not liable pursuant to this subsection (r).

(s) The Agency shall have authority to take whatever preventive or corrective action is necessary or appropriate, including but not limited to expenditure of monies appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund for removal or remedial action, whenever any hazardous substance or pesticide is released or there is a substantial threat of such a release into the environment. The State, the Director, and any State employee shall be indemnified for any damages or injury arising out of or resulting from any action taken under this subsection. The Director of the Agency is authorized to enter into such contracts and agreements as are necessary to carry out the Agency's duties under this subsection.

(t) The Agency shall have authority to distribute grants, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, to units of local government for financing and construction of wastewater facilities in both incorporated and unincorporated areas. With respect to all monies appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund for wastewater facility grants, the Agency shall make distributions in conformity with the rules and regulations established pursuant to the Anti-Pollution Bond Act (now repealed) or the General Obligation Bond Act.

(u) Pursuant to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, the Agency shall have the authority to adopt such rules as are necessary or appropriate for the Agency to implement Section 31.1 of this Act.

(v) (Blank.)

(w) Neither the State, nor the Director, nor the Board, nor any State employee shall be liable for any damages or injury arising out of or resulting from any action taken under subsection (s).

(x)(1) The Agency shall have authority to distribute grants, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, to units of local government for financing and construction of public water supply facilities. With respect to all monies appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund for public water supply grants, such grants shall be made in accordance with rules promulgated by the Agency. Such rules shall include a requirement for a local match of 30% of the total project cost for projects funded through such grants.

(2) The Agency shall not terminate a grant to a unit of local government for the financing and construction of public water supply facilities unless and until the Agency adopts rules that set forth precise and complete standards, pursuant to Section 5-20 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, for the termination of such grants. The Agency shall not make determinations on whether specific grant conditions are necessary to ensure the integrity of a project or on whether subagreements shall be awarded, with respect to grants for the financing and construction of public water supply facilities, unless and until the Agency adopts rules that set forth precise and complete standards, pursuant to Section 5-20 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, for making such determinations. The Agency shall not issue a stop-work order in relation to such grants unless and until the Agency adopts precise and complete standards, pursuant to Section 5-20 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, for determining whether to issue a stop-work order.

(y) The Agency shall have authority to release any person from further responsibility for preventive or corrective action under this Act following successful completion of preventive or corrective action undertaken by such person upon written request by the person.

(z) To the extent permitted by any applicable federal law or regulation, for all work performed for State construction projects which are funded in whole or in part by a capital infrastructure bill enacted by the 96th General Assembly by sums appropriated to the Environmental Protection Agency, at least 50% of the total labor hours must be performed by actual residents of the State of Illinois. For purposes of this subsection, "actual residents of the State of Illinois" means persons domiciled in the State of Illinois. The Department of Labor shall promulgate rules providing for the enforcement of this subsection.

(aa) The Agency shall may adopt rules requiring the electronic submission of any information required to be submitted to the Agency pursuant to any State or federal law or regulation or any court or Board order. Any rules adopted under this subsection (aa) must include, but are not limited to, identification of the information to be submitted electronically. The rules adopted under this subsection (aa) shall take effect no later than January 1, 2030.

(Source: P.A. 102-1071, eff. 6-10-22; 102-1115, eff. 1-9-23; 103-616, eff. 7-1-24.)