Some Illinois legislators joined representatives from environmental groups Tuesday to call on the Illinois House of Representatives to approve Senate Bill 9. It is the Coal Ash Prevention Act.
‘’Illinois has a toxic coal ash problem and, as a state, we’ve been slow to addressing it,’’ said State Senator Scott Bennett of Champaign, the bill’s sponsor. ‘’If we don’t act now, this toxic byproduct will be part of our state’s environment for generations,’’ said Senator Bennett. ‘’We cannot afford to stand by while coal ash pollution threatens our water and our future,’’ added Bennett.
State Representative Carol Ammons of Champaign is sponsoring the bill in the House. ‘’I’m sponsoring this bill to make sure that throughout Illinois we have adequate protections against coal ash pollution,’’ said Ammons as she urged others to support the bill.
The proposed legislation creates a regulatory framework to ensure polluters, not taxpayers, pay for needed closure and cleanup. The bill also provides funds for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to oversee the closure and cleanup.
