Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
State Says South Lakefront Dump Site Can Operate For Another Year As Army Corps Pursues Decades-Long Expansion
The Army Corps of Engineers awaits a decision on its long-term plan to expand the polluted sediment dump, which would delay by at least 25 years a commitment to restore the site as riverfront park space.
Lakefront Dump Site Opposed By Park Advocates, Southeast Siders Hasn’t Had A Valid Pollution Permit Since May 31
The site, which stores polluted sediment dredged from the river and five other waterways in Chicago, has been operating without a valid pollution control permit all month.
Feds Suspend Investigation Into Approval Of Southeast Side Metal Scrapper’s Permit
The U.S. EPA's investigation is on pause after federal and state environmental regulators began "informal resolution agreement discussions" last month.
City Says Federal Probe Into East Side Metal Scrapper Permit Has Its ‘Full Support’ Despite Rejecting Prior Discrimination Investigation
City officials have downplayed a civil rights complaint filed by Southeast Siders and rebuffed requests from a federal department to delay Southside Recycling's permit review. Now city lawyers are telling the feds following civil rights laws "is of great importance."
Feds Investigating State EPA For Approving Permit For Southeast Side Scrapper Planned By General Iron Owner
The Illinois EPA approved plans for Southside Recycling despite community outrage, saying the agency couldn't consider feedback or General Iron's past violations during its review.
Decades Of Racist City Policies Pushed Polluters To The Southeast Side, Residents Say — And Feds Should Investigate
The city's push to allow General Iron to move from Lincoln Park to East Side triggered a federal complaint from environmental activists.
Lightfoot Won’t Commit To Keeping General Iron Closed Through Pandemic
General Iron is shut down indefinitely after an explosion in May, the mayor said. But she did not say if she would require the scrapper to remain closed once an investigation is finished.
General Iron’s Move To East Side Approved By State Regulators Despite Community Outrage
The permit approval clears a path for General Iron — a metal scrapper with a long history of violations — to move into “an area of environmental justice concern."
Alderman Calls On State To Halt General Iron’s Permit Review For Move To East Side
Coronavirus has created an "inability to provide real community input, "Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza said. She wants more time for residents to weigh in on the scrapper's move from Lincoln Park.
Explosion, City Shutdown Won’t Stop State EPA From Letting General Iron Move To East Side
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency cannot deny a permit "based upon allegations that a source is violating" the permit's requirements, a spokesperson said.
Neighbors Celebrate Closure Of General Iron, But Scrappers Now Unsure Where To Take Truckloads Of Metal
The morning after an explosion that forced the shutdown of the Lincoln Park metal recycling plant, scrap metal collectors showed up looking to unload.