The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) of the state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 is the primary body concerned with the protection of the environment for the state. The Illinois EPA's mission is "to safeguard environmental quality, consistent with the social and economic needs of the State, so as to protect health, welfare, property and the quality of life."

Its stated goals are to:

• Provide leadership to chart a new course for clean air which is responsive to relevant needs in Illinois and complies with priority aspects of the Clean Air Act Amendments.
• Address outstanding solid
  Municipal solid waste
  Municipal solid waste , commonly known as trash or garbage , refuse or rubbish is a waste type consisting of everyday items we consume and discard. It predominantly includes food wastes, yard wastes, containers and product packaging, and other miscellaneous inorganic wastes from residential,...
  
   and hazardous waste
  Hazardous waste
  A hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. According to the U.S. environmental laws hazardous wastes fall into two major categories: characteristic wastes and listed wastes.Characteristic hazardous wastes are materials that are known...
  
   management concerns and participate, as appropriate, in the national deliberations on reauthorization of the hazardous waste program
  Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
  The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act , enacted in 1976, is the principal Federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste.-History and Goals:...
  
  .
• Utilize creative means to address the priority needs for clean and safe water in Illinois and participate, as appropriate, in the national deliberations on reauthorization of the water programs
  Clean Water Act
  The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
  
  .
• Enhance capability to fund environmental cleanup, when necessary, and to provide better service for private party actions.
• Promote pollution prevention
  Pollution prevention
  Pollution prevention ' describes activities that reduce the amount of pollution generated by a process, whether it is consumer consumption, driving, or industrial production...
  
   and market-based approaches
  Emissions trading
  Emissions trading is a market-based approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants....
  
   for continued environmental progress.
• Develop an environmental planning capability which emphasizes risk-based analysis, good science and sound data, and open communication and informed participation.

The current director of the Illinois EPA is Lisa Bonnett.

History

The Illinois EPA was established in July 1970, shortly after the first Earth Day

Earth Day

Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...

. Governor Richard Ogilvie

Richard B. Ogilvie

Richard Buell Ogilvie was the 35th Governor of Illinois from 1969 to 1973. A wounded combat veteran of World War II, he achieved fame as the mafia-fighting Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois in the 1960s....

 signed into law the Illinois Environmental Protection Act (PA 76-2429), which became effective on July 1, 1970 and created the Illinois EPA. Illinois was the first US state with a comprehensive environmental protection act. This was the same year that the United States Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...

 was created.

Structure

The agency's headquarters is located in Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...

, with a laboratory in Springfield, and field offices centered in Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...

, Marion

Marion, Illinois

The city of Marion is the county seat of Williamson County, Illinois. The 2010 census counted 17,193 residents, making Marion the 25th most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in Illinois, and the second most populous city in Southern Illinois, outside of the Metro-East, behind...

, Elgin

Elgin, Illinois

Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...

, Rockford

Rockford, Illinois

Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...

, Moline

Moline, Illinois

Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...

, Des Plaines

Des Plaines, Illinois

Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It has adopted the official nickname of "City of Destiny." As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,720. It is a suburb of Chicago, and is next to O'Hare International Airport...

, Collinsville

Collinsville, Illinois

Collinsville is a city located mainly in Madison County, and partially in St. Clair County, both in Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 26,016. Collinsville is approximately 12 miles from St. Louis, Missouri and is considered part of that city's Metro-East area...

, and Peoria

Peoria, Illinois

Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...

. The Illinois EPA is composed of three main Bureaus:

• Bureau of Air
  • Division of Air Pollution Control - "to improve air quality by identifying air pollution problems, proposing appropriate regulations to control or reduce air contaminants, conducting inspections and reviewing permit applications to assure compliance with existing air pollution regulations"
  • Division of Mobil Source Programs - "to enforce vehicle emission limitations"
• Bureau of Land
  • Division of Land Pollution Control - "to ensure that hazardous and nonhazardous wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner and to implement regulatory programs such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Solid Waste program"
  • Division of Remediation Management - "for administering cleanup programs for hazardous waste sites (including Superfund), leaking underground storage tanks, and used tires"
• Bureau of Water
  • Division of Water Pollution Control - "to identify sources of water pollution and implement steps to abate the pollution"
  • Division of Public Water Supply - "to protect the public from disease and to assure an adequate supply of pure water for all beneficial uses"

There are also offices designed to assist both industry and the public in the areas of pollution prevention, community relations, and environmental justice

Environmental justice

Environmental justice is "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." In the words of Bunyan Bryant,...

.

External links

• Illinois EPA website
• Illinois Pollution Control Board – the Illinois EPA's "sister" agency which adopts environmental rules and regulations, adjudicates enforcement actions, processes permit denial appeals, and hears variance petitions