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1 | AN ACT concerning safety. | |||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | |||||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly: | |||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | adding Section 9.21 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (415 ILCS 5/9.21 new) | |||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Sec. 9.21. Air Quality Enforcement and Mitigation Fund; | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | Program. | |||||||||||||||||||||
9 | (a) In this Section: | |||||||||||||||||||||
10 | "Environmental protection community" means a geographic | |||||||||||||||||||||
11 | area that the Agency, using tools such as the United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
12 | Environmental Protection Agency's EJSCREEN, has identified as | |||||||||||||||||||||
13 | a community facing a disproportionate environmental burden, | |||||||||||||||||||||
14 | using indicators such as sensitive populations, socioeconomic | |||||||||||||||||||||
15 | factors, and environmental exposures and effects. | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | "Fund" means the Air Quality Enforcement and Mitigation | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | Fund created under subsection (b). | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | "Program" means the Air Quality Community Impact Grant | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | Program created under subsection (d). | |||||||||||||||||||||
20 | (b) The Air Quality Enforcement and Mitigation Fund is | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | created as a special fund in the State treasury. The State | |||||||||||||||||||||
22 | Treasurer may receive moneys or other assets from any source | |||||||||||||||||||||
23 | for deposit into the Fund. The State Treasurer shall direct |
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1 | the investment of the Fund. The State Treasurer shall credit | ||||||
2 | to the Fund interest and earnings from Fund investments. | ||||||
3 | Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the Fund is not | ||||||
4 | subject to sweeps, administrative charge-backs, or any other | ||||||
5 | fiscal or budgetary maneuver that would in any way transfer | ||||||
6 | any amounts from the Fund into any other fund of the State. | ||||||
7 | (c) The Agency shall expend moneys from the Fund, subject | ||||||
8 | to appropriation, as follows: | ||||||
9 | (1) 30% of the moneys shall be expended for staffing | ||||||
10 | and other functions of the Agency that benefit | ||||||
11 | environmental protection communities and are related to | ||||||
12 | one or more of the following: | ||||||
13 | (A) mitigating air pollution through vegetative | ||||||
14 | buffering, optional residential property buyouts, air | ||||||
15 | filter installation in homes and schools, and diesel | ||||||
16 | engine retrofit or replacement programs; | ||||||
17 | (B) increasing air monitoring; | ||||||
18 | (C) improving compliance by persons with a history | ||||||
19 | of violating the Act, rules adopted under the Act, or | ||||||
20 | permits issued under the Act; and | ||||||
21 | (D) offering education and training programs for | ||||||
22 | environmental regulators, prosecuting attorneys, or | ||||||
23 | both; and | ||||||
24 | (2) 70% of the moneys shall be expended for grants, | ||||||
25 | through the Air Quality Community Impact Grant Program | ||||||
26 | established under subsection (d), to nonprofit entities, |
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1 | local health departments, local environmental departments, | ||||||
2 | and school districts located within communities in which a | ||||||
3 | violation of the Act has occurred or within communities | ||||||
4 | deemed by the Agency to be effected by a violation of the | ||||||
5 | Act, including, but not limited to, environmental | ||||||
6 | protection communities, for the purposes described in | ||||||
7 | subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1) and any one or | ||||||
8 | more of the following purposes: | ||||||
9 | (A) conducting health impact assessments; and | ||||||
10 | (B) offering education and training programs for | ||||||
11 | community residents and local environmental regulators | ||||||
12 | in order to increase the effectiveness of enforcement | ||||||
13 | programs in deterring violations of this Act and rules | ||||||
14 | adopted or orders issued under this Act. | ||||||
15 | (d) The Agency shall establish an Air Quality Community | ||||||
16 | Impact Grant Program. The Program shall provide grants to | ||||||
17 | nonprofit entities, local health departments, local | ||||||
18 | environmental departments, and school districts to carry out | ||||||
19 | the purposes described in paragraph (2) of subsection (c). | ||||||
20 | (e) The Agency shall adopt rules to implement this | ||||||
21 | Section. At a minimum, the rules shall describe how grants are | ||||||
22 | to be allocated, the procedures for applying for grants, the | ||||||
23 | criteria for awarding grants, and administrative and fiscal | ||||||
24 | requirements governing the receipt and expenditure of grants. | ||||||
25 | The Agency shall adopt the rules in consultation with an | ||||||
26 | Advisory Committee that shall include, but shall not be |
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1 | limited to, at least one of each of the following persons | ||||||
2 | appointed by the Director of the Agency: | ||||||
3 | (1) a public health expert; | ||||||
4 | (2) a representative of an environmental justice | ||||||
5 | organization; | ||||||
6 | (3) a representative of the Department of Human | ||||||
7 | Services; | ||||||
8 | (4) a representative of a local health department or | ||||||
9 | local environmental department; and | ||||||
10 | (5) two residents of environmental protection | ||||||
11 | communities. | ||||||
12 | (f) The Agency, in collaboration with environmental | ||||||
13 | interest groups, shall, by rule, develop a process to identify | ||||||
14 | environmental protection communities. Within 150 days after | ||||||
15 | the effective date of those rules, the Agency shall use | ||||||
16 | available census block data from the most recent federal | ||||||
17 | decennial census to identify environmental protection | ||||||
18 | communities. The identification process shall include | ||||||
19 | community engagement to obtain information and receive | ||||||
20 | feedback. | ||||||
21 | (g) The Agency shall post on its website and make publicly | ||||||
22 | available an annual report on the purposes for which grants | ||||||
23 | were awarded under paragraph (2) of subsection (c), including | ||||||
24 | the communities affected. | ||||||
25 | Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding |
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1 | Section 5.1030 as follows: | ||||||
2 | (30 ILCS 105/5.1030 new) | ||||||
3 | Sec. 5.1030. The Air Quality Enforcement and Mitigation | ||||||
4 | Fund. | ||||||
5 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
6 | becoming law. |