2010 Articles

2009 spring legislative session January 2010 Illinois House and Senate Bills related to Environmental Law

2010 Illinois legislation update as of 4/20/10 By Kyle Rominger May 2010 Recent legislation affecting environmental law in Illinois.

Clean Water Restoration Act By Jeff Baker May 2010 The current Clean Water Act extends only to “navigable waters.” But the recently introduced Clean Water Restoration Act would replace the current "navigable waters" language for the broader “waters of the United States.”

Equipment lessor deemed an “owner” under CERCLA, is liable for remediation costs By James A. Vroman & Genevieve J. Essig October 2010 The recent case of United States v. Saporito provides a new perspective on who could be held liable for a release of hazardous substances as an “owner” under CERCLA.

From the Chair By Joseph R. Podlewski, Jr. January 2010 The section council is the voice of the ISBA’s Environmental Law Section and is committed to serving the needs of its members.

Illinois adopts green building standards for state projects By Raymond T. Reott September 2010 The Green Buildings Act, enacted in Illinois in 2009, requires all new state-funded building construction and major renovations of existing facilities to seek clarification under green building standards.

Is your remediation green enough? By John Van Vranken January 2010 It is self-evident that remediation of environmental contamination benefits the environment. But is the remediation itself green enough? This is a hot topic for federal and state regulators and is affecting how remediations are actually conducted.

New CERCLA settlement obstacles By Robert Olian September 2010 A look at the recently decided case of Agere Systems, Inc., et al. v.Advanced Environmental Technology Corporation, et al, which will have a broad-reaching effect on potentially responsible parties.

New USEPA lead paint renovation rule By Raymond T. Reott October 2010 Earlier this year the U.S. EPA adopted new rules involving the renovation and repair of pre-1978 structures with suspected lead-based paint.

SEC issues interpretive guidance on climate change disclosure requirements for public companies By Dustin T. Till May 2010 The SEC has published a new interpretive document intended to inform public companies of their obligation to disclose to investors the impacts on their businesses—both positive and negative—of existing and proposed climate change laws and regulations.

Vapor intrusion rulemaking stayed By Raymond T. Reott January 2010 The Illinois Pollution Control Board has stayed the long-anticipated vapor intrusion rulemaking.