Emily Goes to Springfield!
By Emily Miao, IPC Volunteer and Advocacy Committee Member
On Wednesday, April 9th, IPC President Scott Hays and I joined the IEC (Illinois Environmental Council) Conservation Lobby Day event at the Illinois State Capitol building, Springfield, IL, where we lobbied our state representatives to vote “Yes” and to co-sponsor a variety of environmental-related bills which include legislation directed to keeping Illinois rivers free for recreational use (HB 1873) by amending Illinois’ Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act (615 ILCS 5/5) to emphasize the public right to access and use navigable waters. We also lobbied for the creation of an Illinois Wetland Protection act (HB 3596), to fix the gap created by the unfortunate U.S. Supreme court’s decision in the Sackett v. EPA case, which narrowed the U.S. Clean Water Act to exclude certain types of wetlands from the Act’s scope of protection. The excluded wetlands include those that naturally filter out pollutants and pathogens in water and thus enhance the purity of our drinking water and enjoyment of navigable waters.
The State House and Senate had regular legislative sessions during Lobby Day, so it was a crowded and busy day at the Illinois State Capitol building. While the crowds made it difficult to find specific people, I met some interesting activists, including retired schoolteacher Janice G, who lobby regularly for legislation they support. I was unable to meet directly with my state senator Adriane Johnson, so I went to her office, met with her assistant, and left a message for her. I was fortunate to have a face-to-face meeting with my State Representative Daniel Didech, to discuss several bills, including HB 3596 and HB 1596 (requiring advance notice of large-scale pesticide application to schools, daycare centers and playgrounds). Already a HB 1873 co-sponsor/supporter, Rep. Didech just co-sponsored HB 3596 as well as HB 1596.
All in all, I had a great experience observing and getting a taste of some Illinois lawmaking as well as meeting people fighting to protect public rights to Illinois navigable waters and to clean water.