Full Text of SJR0060 101st General Assembly
SJ0060 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | SJ0060 | | LRB101 20420 MST 69973 r |
|
| 1 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois seeks to support development | 3 | | that enhances public safety, agriculture, and industry and | 4 | | promotes economic and environmental security for communities | 5 | | across Illinois; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Protecting and restoring floodplains helps reduce | 7 | | flooding and avoids damages in flood-prone areas; it provides | 8 | | improved habitat for fish and wildlife, improved water quality, | 9 | | groundwater recharge, and opportunities for tourism and | 10 | | recreation; it also provides more room for rivers during flood | 11 | | events, reducing pressure on structures like dams and levees; | 12 | | and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Floods are the most common natural disaster in the | 14 | | State and caused $3 billion in property damage to Illinois | 15 | | residents between 2000 and 2018; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Scientific evidence demonstrates that floods are | 17 | | happening more frequently, and our current definitions of flood | 18 | | frequencies underestimate the recurrence of flood events; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Levees are built with the intention of protecting | 20 | | against recurring flood damage; although the State has | 21 | | regulations to ensure levees are designed and built as to not |
| | | SJ0060 | - 2 - | LRB101 20420 MST 69973 r |
|
| 1 | | exacerbate the potential for flooding, they can contribute to | 2 | | real and residual flood risks; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, Levees, floodwalls, and other types of flood | 4 | | control infrastructure are expensive to build and maintain, and | 5 | | lack of adequate maintenance of flood control structures can | 6 | | put people and property at risk; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Non-structural and nature-based flood risk | 8 | | management options, such as floodplain restoration, can | 9 | | provide more cost-effective long-term solutions for at-risk | 10 | | communities; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Poor and marginalized communities are frequently | 12 | | concentrated in flood-prone neighborhoods or areas of high real | 13 | | or residual flood risk due to historic and/or ongoing | 14 | | discriminatory housing policies; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Illinois floodplain development regulations | 16 | | protect public safety and should be maintained; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Restoration programs that correct past | 18 | | development actions lack adequate funding to correct the | 19 | | ongoing floodplain degradation; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Mitigation and practices that reconnect rivers to |
| | | SJ0060 | - 3 - | LRB101 20420 MST 69973 r |
|
| 1 | | their floodplains do not restore the ecosystem functions, and | 2 | | the sites are frequently paved or turfed; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, The ecosystem restoration programs in Illinois | 4 | | rarely reconnect rivers to their floodplains and often require | 5 | | the maintenance of levees to prohibit floods from damaging | 6 | | restoration project investments; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, State agencies should consider how to integrate | 8 | | floodplain activities to promote projects and development that | 9 | | achieve co-equal benefits of flood risk reduction and ecosystem | 10 | | restoration; therefore, be it
| 11 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 12 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 13 | | CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Department of Natural Resources | 14 | | shall maintain existing regulations in Part 3700 of Title 17 of | 15 | | the Illinois Administrative Code that preserve the | 16 | | Department's authority to regulate levees to protective | 17 | | standards; and be it further | 18 | | RESOLVED, That the Department of Natural Resources is | 19 | | directed to: | 20 | | (1) Conduct a comprehensive review of floodplains and | 21 | | determine meaningful trends in how floodplain use | 22 | | impacts public safety, marginalized and poor |
| | | SJ0060 | - 4 - | LRB101 20420 MST 69973 r |
|
| 1 | | communities, farm economics, fish and wildlife | 2 | | populations, natural resources, and water quality: in | 3 | | conducting this review, the Department of Natural | 4 | | Resources should consult with the following: | 5 | | (a) the Illinois Emergency Management Agency; | 6 | | (b) the Department of Agriculture; | 7 | | (c) the Association of State Floodplain Managers; | 8 | | (d) Environmental and conservation organizations; | 9 | | (e) City managers and mayors; | 10 | | (f) Organizations that represent minority | 11 | | populations; | 12 | | (g) Levee managers; | 13 | | (h) the Illinois Farm Bureau; and | 14 | | (i) Agricultural associations; and | 15 | | (2) Make recommendations to the General Assembly as to | 16 | | how Illinois can better integrate floodplain programs | 17 | | to promote development and restoration activities that | 18 | | protect public safety, especially for our most | 19 | | vulnerable citizens, enhance the quality of the | 20 | | natural environment of Illinois, and support | 21 | | flood-compatible economies; and be it further
| 22 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 23 | | delivered to the General Assembly and the Director of the | 24 | | Department of Natural Resources.
|
|