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1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Natural Resource Restoration Trust Fund Act. | |||||||||||||||||||||
6 | Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act: | |||||||||||||||||||||
7 | "Department" means the Department of Natural Resources. | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | "Director" means the Director of Natural Resources. | |||||||||||||||||||||
9 | "Fund" means the Illinois Natural Resource Restoration | |||||||||||||||||||||
10 | Trust Fund created in Section 10 of this Act. | |||||||||||||||||||||
11 | Section 10. The Natural Resource Restoration Trust Fund. | |||||||||||||||||||||
12 | (a) There is hereby created in the State Treasury the | |||||||||||||||||||||
13 | Illinois Natural Resource Restoration Trust Fund to receive | |||||||||||||||||||||
14 | deposits of moneys available from or intended for the | |||||||||||||||||||||
15 | investigation, assessment, restoration, or replacement of | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | injured or damaged natural resources resulting from claims | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | pursued under the laws of the United States, this State, or | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | other statutory or common law. The fund may receive deposits of | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | moneys made available from any other source. All moneys in the | |||||||||||||||||||||
20 | fund are to be invested and reinvested by the State Treasurer. | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | All interest accruing from these investments shall be deposited | |||||||||||||||||||||
22 | in the fund. Moneys received through settlement or litigation |
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1 | of claims for injured natural resources and directed at the | ||||||
2 | restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or the acquisition | ||||||
3 | of the equivalent of injured natural resources and the benefits | ||||||
4 | they provide, shall be available for those uses until the funds | ||||||
5 | are expended. Moneys deposited in the fund may be invested in | ||||||
6 | securities constituting direct obligations of the United | ||||||
7 | States Government, obligations the principal of and interest on | ||||||
8 | which are guaranteed by the United States Government, or in | ||||||
9 | certificates of deposit of any State or national bank that are | ||||||
10 | fully secured by obligations guaranteed by the United States | ||||||
11 | Government. | ||||||
12 | (b) All moneys deposited into the fund shall be used by the | ||||||
13 | Department of Natural Resources to: | ||||||
14 | (1) Take necessary or appropriate action to | ||||||
15 | investigate and assess the nature and extent of injuries or | ||||||
16 | damage to Illinois natural resources and the benefits they | ||||||
17 | provide. | ||||||
18 | (2) Take necessary or appropriate action to restore, | ||||||
19 | rehabilitate, replace, or acquire the equivalent of | ||||||
20 | injured or damaged natural resources and the benefits they | ||||||
21 | provide. | ||||||
22 | (3) Meet any requirements which must be met by the | ||||||
23 | State in order to obtain federal funds, or any other funds, | ||||||
24 | to address injury or damage to natural resources. | ||||||
25 | (4) Pay for the cost of Department personnel, | ||||||
26 | contractual, professional, or technical services to review |
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1 | or perform natural resource injury or damage assessments, | ||||||
2 | natural resource restoration or replacement actions, | ||||||
3 | environmental or ecological risk assessments, | ||||||
4 | environmental impact assessment actions, or other | ||||||
5 | activities related to environmental contamination of real | ||||||
6 | property. | ||||||
7 | (5) Administer the provisions of this Section. | ||||||
8 | (c) The General Assembly shall annually appropriate to the | ||||||
9 | fund such amounts as it deems necessary to fulfill the purposes | ||||||
10 | of this Section. | ||||||
11 | (d) The Department may accept, receive, and administer on | ||||||
12 | behalf of the State any moneys made available to the State from | ||||||
13 | any source for the purposes set forth in this Section. These | ||||||
14 | moneys may be in addition to any other funds otherwise | ||||||
15 | appropriated to the Department for similar purposes. Interest | ||||||
16 | or income earned on moneys deposited into the fund shall be | ||||||
17 | retained in the fund to be used by the Department pursuant to | ||||||
18 | the provisions of this Section. | ||||||
19 | Section 900. The State Finance Act is amended by adding | ||||||
20 | Section 5.855 as follows: | ||||||
21 | (30 ILCS 105/5.855 new) | ||||||
22 | Sec. 5.855. The Natural Resource Restoration Trust Fund.
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23 | Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
24 | becoming law.
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