Continuing our countdown of new Illinois environmental laws taking effect on January 1, 2016 is Public Act 99-0073, which increases penalties for violations of the Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act and permits the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to issue orders requiring remedial actions.

Continuing our countdown of new Illinois environmental laws taking effect on January 1, 2016 is Public Act 99-0391, which provides that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources shall give grant priority to projects that include handicap-accessible playground equipment.

Continuing our countdown of new Illinois environmental laws taking effect on January 1, 2016 is Public Act 99-0081, which adds to the list of exotic weeds that shall not be bought, sold, or distributed without a permit from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Continuing our countdown of new Illinois environmental laws taking effect on January 1, 2016 is Public Act 99-0463, under which the Illinois Pollution Control Board is required to adopt regulations establishing Clean Air Act permit programs for Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Nonattainment New Source Review (NA NSR) permits.

Beginning our countdown of new Illinois environmental laws taking effect on January 1, 2016 is Public Act 99-0089, under which the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is allowed to determine whether certain applications of dust suppressants may be managed as non-waste under a beneficial use determination.

We're counting down the eleven new Illinois environmental laws that go into effect on January 1, 2016!

The Illinois Pollution Control Board recently issued its Environmental Register for November 2015.  The Environmental Register summarizes the Board's work in November 2015 and provides a summary of actions of the Board, new cases, and the Board's calendar.  The Environmental Register also contains an update of the Board's rulemaking proceedings, which included (1) a denial of Illinois EPA's request for an open-ended stay of the coal ash pond rulemaking proceeding, (2) amendments to the drinking water standards to reflect the latest nationally-recommended fluoride level, (3) proposals of amendments to the water pollution permit rules, (4) amendments to the drinking water standards to reflect regulations adopted by U.S. EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act, (5) amendments to a site-specific noise rule for forging operations, and (6) adoption of rules requiring emission cuts from power plants.