Environment

Amends the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that Department has the power to expend moneys appropriated to the Department from the Park and Conservation Fund in the State treasury for furtherance of the Department's programs or for use by the Department for the Department's normal operations and for the construction and maintenance of State owned, leased, and managed sites (rather than the ordinary and contingent expenses of the Department). Amends the State Finance Act. Provides that the Comptroller shall order transferred and the Treasurer shall transfer from the Park and Conservation Fund Account in the Build Illinois Fund to the Park and Conservation Fund 1/12 of $10,000,000, plus any cumulative deficiency in those transfers for prior months, for any purposes (rather than Conservation and Park purposes) as enumerated in Section 805-420 of the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law or for the same purposes as specified in any other State general obligation bond Act. Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that the moneys deposited in the Park and Conservation Fund shall be used as provided for in Section 805-420 of the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois (rather than for the development and acquisition of bike paths).

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that no person shall use, or cause or allow the use of, any site on which a former waste disposal operation is located in a manner that is inconsistent with the closure of the waste disposal operation. Lists prohibited uses.

Creates the Green Light for Buses Act. Establishes the Committee on Efficient Arterial Signal Infrastructure to make recommendations to improve public transit efficiency via improvements to traffic signal infrastructure. Publishes a report to the Department of Transportation for inclusion in the Public Transportation Plan. Grants implementing authority. Defines terms. Effective immediately.

Amends the Downstate Forest Preserve District Act. Provides that the Board of the Kendall County Forest Preserve District may impose a tax upon all persons engaged in the business of selling, including leasing, tangible personal property, other than personal property titled or registered with an agency of this State's government, at retail in the county on the gross receipts from the sales made in the course of business to provide revenue to be used by the forest preserve district in that county for general forest preserve district purposes. Provides that the tax may not be imposed on tangible personal property taxed at the 1% rate under the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. Provides that the tax shall not be imposed on sales of aviation fuel for so long as the revenue use requirements are binding on the board. Provides that the tax and all civil penalties that may be assessed as an incident of the tax shall be collected and enforced by the Department of Revenue. Amends the State Finance Act. Designates the Special Forest Preserve District Retailers and Service Occupation Tax Fund as a special fund in the State Treasury. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that all National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits authorizing a discharge from a facility designated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a major facility, shall, at a minimum, require for publicly owned treatment works, periodic sampling of influent, effluent, and biosolids for all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances for which there are accredited wastewater analytical methods and, for all other facilities, periodic effluent sampling for all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances for which there are accredited wastewater analytical methods. Provides that the Agency shall require any NPDES permit application for a discharge of wastewater that has potential to contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances to fully characterize the discharge through sample results for all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances for which there are accredited wastewater analytical methods. Provides that the Agency shall not issue any permit under specified provisions for the land application of a sludge or biosolids unless the application includes sample results for the sludge or biosolids for all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances for which there are accredited wastewater analytical methods. Provides that any permit issued under specified provisions for the land application of a sludge or biosolids shall require, at minimum, periodic sampling of the sludge or biosolids for all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances for which there are accredited wastewater analytical methods.

Amends the Chicago Park District Act. Authorizes the Chicago Park District, in collaboration with the botanic gardens authorized under the Forest Preserve Botanic Gardens Act, to establish, maintain, and manage small public gardens throughout the City of Chicago. Provides that each public garden shall include a native landscape aimed at protecting butterfly populations that migrate through the City of Chicago. Defines "Illinois native plants" and "native landscape".

Amends the Natural Resource Restoration Trust Fund Act. Provides that the Department of Natural Resources shall establish the Natural Resource Restoration Trust Grant Program to make grants to applicants for the restoration or replacement of injured or damaged natural resources resulting from claims pursued under the laws of the United States, the laws of this State, other statutory laws, or common law. Provides that the following entities may apply for grants under the Act: (i) units of local government; (ii) soil and water conservation districts; (iii) area-wide agencies, including counties, regional planning agencies, or both; (iv) nonprofit organizations; (iv) public or private institutes of higher education; (v) port authorities; and (vi) federally recognized tribes. Provides that the Department shall issue grants if (i) the requested grant complies with the purpose for which the Department was to provide funds and is subject to the requirements of all applicable court orders and (ii) the grant complies with the criteria established by administrative rule for the issuance of the grant. Provides that grants shall not be awarded to a grantee that is responsible for the pollution event that is the subject or basis for the issuance of the grant. Effective July 1, 2027.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that, in the case of water main installation projects, all water main-related appurtenances, and specifically fire hydrants and valves, shall be included in the Agency's written approval of specified public water supply plans. Requires fire hydrants and valves to be designed and installed in accordance with specified standards.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that, when determining whether certain local siting review criteria have been met, the county board of the county or the governing body of the municipality, as applicable, shall consider, among other things, vehicle emissions and the potential cumulative impacts created by the addition of the facility to the existing pollution sources, the disparate impacts created by the addition of the facility to existing pollution sources, and the potential disparate impacts on nearby communities. Requires the local siting decisions of the Pollution Control Board to include a written statement describing whether the procedures were conducted by the county board or governing body in a manner that is accessible to the public, including individuals with disabilities and individuals who are not native speakers of English.

Amends the Carbon Dioxide Transportation and Sequestration Act. Provides that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall not issue any certificate of authority under the Act before July 1, 2026. Removes language providing that if, after July 1, 2026, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has not adopted final revisions to specified pipeline safety rules, the Commission may only approve a certificate of authority if it finds that the applicant has met all of the requirements of the Act, has already acquired all of its other necessary approvals, and is compliant with any requirements or conditions adopted by the Commission. Provides that a nonconsenting pore space owner's compensation shall include just compensation and any operations term or injection term payments made upon or after the initiation of injection provided to consenting pore space owners in consideration of allowing use of their pore space for sequestration of carbon dioxide. Provides that a nonconsenting pore space owner's compensation shall be no less than the average total payment package, considered as a whole with respect to an individual owner, provided in agreements to similarly situated consenting pore space owners for use of their pore space by the same sequestration operator for the same sequestration project (instead of provided in agreements during the previous 365 days to similarly situated consenting pore space owners). Amends the Safety and Aid for the Environment in Carbon Capture and Sequestration Act. Provides that an affected landowner is entitled to reasonable compensation from an applicant that has been granted a certificate of authority under this Act for damages resulting from access to the landowner's property for required activities taken to construct the pipeline, including, but not limited to, compensation for specified damages. Sets forth provisions concerning payment of the compensation; attorney's fees; and an applicant entering into an agreement with the Department of Agriculture that governs the mitigation of agricultural impacts associated with the construction of the proposed pipeline. Makes other changes.