Environment

The mayor has finally appointed a policy adviser to help guide the city through its environmental challenges. Activists say her pick seems right, but wonder how much of a difference the appointment will make.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration has blown deadlines to disclose internal communications, violating state public records laws. City Hall’s decision-making process prior to the implosion remains shrouded.

The state’s top prosecutor says the company did not take steps “to protect the community from air pollution and compromised air quality” after the implosion covered the neighborhood in dust.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office is reviewing the incident that covered the Chicago neighborhood in dust.

A Hilco affiliate, contractor MCM Management Corp. and partners were hit with $3.75 million in environmental violations in Maryland.

Chicago mayor says budget constraints have cooled her ambitious plans. Her 2020 budget includes no new funding for additional pollution inspectors.

Illinois senator asked for assessment of toxic releases from Veolia plant, a site profiled in a recent BGA story about President Trump’s diminished EPA.

EPA inspections and staff levels plunge in the Chicago regional office as regulations are abandoned and policy favors job creation over clean air and water. The Midwest is among the areas hit hardest by the cutbacks, with inspections down 60% since Trump took office.

Illinois towns paying the price for repeated cleanups consider buying out residents and converting homesteads to wetlands and parks.