Bill
SB 1307
The bill requires enhanced EJ assessments, public engagement, and designations for communities in permitting, plus an online environmentally beneficial project bank.
Status and sponsors
- Introduced early 2025 (Sen. Celina Villanueva is a primary sponsor). The bill would amend the Illinois Environmental Protection Act (415 ILCS 5) to add new environmental justice requirements and related definitions. (Document shows committee activity and hearings during 2025.)
Purpose
- To integrate environmental justice into permitting and Agency practice by (1) defining key EJ concepts, (2) creating processes to identify and petition to designate environmental justice communities, (3) requiring enhanced public engagement and environmental justice assessments for certain air permits in EJ communities, and (4) establishing tools (an “environmentally beneficial project” bank) to support remedies or offsets.
Key provisions
- New definitions added (examples): cumulative impact; disproportionate harm; disproportionately high and adverse environmental impact; disproportionately high and adverse human health impact; environmental justice community; linguistically isolated community.
- Environmental justice community designation
- Requires use of indicators to identify EJ communities and directs the Agency to annually review and update the underlying data and indicator use.
- Establishes a process by which communities not currently designated may petition for designation.
- Permitting and public participation
- Applicants proposing a new source that will become a major source under the Clean Air Act Permit Program, or a new source requiring a federally enforceable state operating permit, located in an EJ community must:
- Hold a public meeting before submitting the permit application.
- Submit with the application an environmental justice assessment describing potential environmental and health impacts to the area (the bill sets out requirements for such assessments).
- Expands public participation requirements for permitting transactions impacting EJ communities.
- If the Agency issues a permit for a facility that emits air pollutants classified as a minor source, a third party may petition the Pollution Control Board for a hearing to contest issuance.
- Environmentally beneficial project bank
- The Agency must create and maintain an online bank of potential environmentally beneficial projects. The public can submit suggestions; inclusion is subject to Agency review.
- Inclusion in the bank is not required for a supplemental environmental project to offset a civil penalty.
- Other statutory edits
- Amends permit issuance provisions (Section 39 and related sections) to incorporate EJ considerations, past compliance history, and allow conditions tied to compliance history.
Who is affected
- Residents and communities that meet (or seek) environmental justice community designation.
- Regulated entities planning to build or operate air-emitting facilities in designated EJ areas (permit applicants will face additional assessment and public engagement requirements).
- The Illinois EPA (Agency) and the Pollution Control Board (additional responsibilities for review/hearings).
- Local stakeholders, community groups, and linguistically isolated populations (explicitly defined and referenced for outreach considerations).
Procedural/timeline notes
- The bill directs the Agency to perform annual reviews of indicator data for EJ designation and to maintain the project bank on its website. Specific effective dates are not included here; check legislative status records for enactment or implementation dates.
Potential impacts (brief)
- Increases procedural protections and transparency for communities facing cumulative environmental burdens.
- Likely to increase pre-application engagement and analytical requirements for permit applicants in EJ communities, which could add time and cost to projects.
- Creates an agency-managed resource (project bank) to facilitate mitigation or beneficial projects.
For more detail
- The bill amends multiple sections of 415 ILCS 5 (Environmental Protection Act) and creates new statutory sections defining terms and establishing program requirements. Review the full bill text for exact assessment criteria, petition procedures, and any technical implementation details.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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