Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Energy and the Environment
Durbin Introduces Legislation To Stymie Plastic Pollution In Waterways
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act, which would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to prohibit the discharge of plastic pellets and other pre-production plastic into waterways from facilities and sources that make, use, package, or transport pellets. The pellets are being consumed by fish and marine life—and in turn, humans—and create additional damage to ecosystems. “Because only nine … Continue Reading
March 19, 2026
Durbin, McCollum Introduce Bill To Mitigate Use Of Toxic PFAS
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) today introduced bicameral legislation to address the excessive use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across the nation’s supply chain, which has led to the harmful compounds contaminating water sources and infiltrating surrounding environments and communities. The Forever Chemical Regulation and Accountability Act would mitigate PFAS exposure and contamination by … Continue Reading
March 19, 2026
Amid Surging Energy Costs, Durbin & Duckworth Call On Trump Administration To Release Energy Assistance Funding
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined a bipartisan group of 38 Senators to call on the Trump Administration to take action and provide energy assistance to those in need as utility costs skyrocket for Illinoisans. In their letter, the Senators urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to swiftly release the approximately $400 million in remaining Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding … Continue Reading
March 13, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth, Schneider Slam Trump EPA Proposed Weakening Of EtO Protections
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), both members of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Ethylene Oxide Task Force, today released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s proposal to roll back a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that protected Americans from harmful exposure to ethylene oxide (EtO), a known … Continue Reading
March 11, 2026
Durbin Calls On President Trump To Follow Through On Promise To Prevent Invasive Carp From Entering Great Lakes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP) after President Trump posted via social media that he will work together with government officials from the Midwest to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes. In his remarks, Durbin spoke about the necessity of moving the project forward after the Trump Administration halted progress on BRIP to conduct an “administrative review,” despite the … Continue Reading
March 04, 2026
Durbin Meets With Director Of The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director James Jennings to discuss water infrastructure in Metro East, the Calumet Confined Disposal Facility, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination, and the Brandon Road Interbasin Project. In Congress, Durbin has secured federal funding to address the flooding issues in Metro East, the harms of PFAS, and has continuously worked with the Army Crops on … Continue Reading
February 24, 2026
Durbin Meets With New Fermilab Director
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate National Labs Caucus, today met with Dr. Nobert Holtkamp, the newly appointed Director of Fermilab. During their meeting, Durbin reaffirmed his support for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 17 National Laboratories, including Illinois’ own Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory. Durbin and Dr. Holtkamp spoke about Fermilab’s flagship research project, the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground … Continue Reading
January 21, 2026
Durbin Slams Trump’s Child Care Funding Freeze At Rockford YWCA
ROCKFORD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a press conference at the YWCA of Northwestern Illinois in Rockford to call out the Trump Administration’s heartless decision to freeze $10 billion in funding for child care, community programs, and financial support for families in five Democratic-led states—including $1 billion for Illinois. The YWCA of Northwestern Illinois serves families who qualify for the Illinois Child Care Assistance Program, which is partially … Continue Reading
December 04, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth, Casten, McClellan Introduce Legislation To Mitigate Negative Impacts Of Natural Gas Pipelines
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), both members of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, and U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL-06) and Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04) introduced the FERC Greenhouse Gas and Environmental Justice Policy Act of 2025, legislation to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to assess and mitigate the impacts that natural gas pipelines approved by FERC under the Natural Gas Act … Continue Reading
October 24, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Trump Administration Denying Illinois Two Federal Disaster Declarations Following Severe Summer Weather
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after the Trump Administration denied Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s requests for Individual Assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following two bouts of severe storms on July 25-28 and August 16-19: “Denying two disaster declarations for Illinois is yet another troubling example of the Trump Administration putting politics ahead of … Continue Reading
October 21, 2025
Durbin Applauds Senate Ag Committee Passage Of His Shawnee National Forest Conservation Act; Legislation To Protect More Than 13,000 Acres Of Shawnee National Forest
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member Senate Agriculture Committee, applauded the Committee for advancing his Shawnee National Forest Conservation Act, legislation that would establish 12,700 acres of special management areas and 750 acres of wilderness in the Shawnee National Forest. Securing this designation for these acres would offer critical protections. Now that the bill has advanced out of the Agriculture Committee, it could now go to the Senate floor for … Continue Reading
September 25, 2025
Durbin Discusses Critical Bee Research At University Of Illinois
URBANA — U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today held a roundtable discussion at the University of Illinois with scientists, administrators, and beekeepers regarding their bee genomics research—which is sequencing the genomes of more than 4,000 domestic bee species. Over the last five years, Durbin has secured nearly $8 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding for such research, which has critical implications for food … Continue Reading
September 15, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth, Van Hollen, Booker, Blumenthal Slam EPA Administrator For Proposal To Push Back Deadline To Monitor Toxic Coal Ash Sites
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin calling on the agency to preserve existing regulations covering the disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCR), more commonly known as “coal ash,” and further urged the agency to abandon its proposal to extend the deadline for CCR … Continue Reading
September 04, 2025
Durbin Introduces Legislation To Invest In A Clean Climate Future And Spur Job Creation
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced the America’s Clean Future Fund Act, a bill that would spur job creation by investing in a clean energy economy. The bill seeks to drive significant carbon emissions reductions to combat the climate crisis; provide economic transition assistance to environmental justice (EJ) communities, farmers, and fossil fuel-reliant communities; and provide financing for climate resilience and clean energy projects. “The … Continue Reading
July 31, 2025
Durbin Introduced Legislation To Protect More Than 13,000 Acres Of Shawnee National Forest
WASHINGTON - This week, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Shawnee National Forest Conservation Act, legislation that would create 12,700 additional acres of special management areas and 750 acres of wilderness in the Shawnee National Forest. Securing this designation for these acres would offer critical protections to the area. “The Shawnee National Forest welcomes thousands of visitors each year, who take advantage of the beautiful views and hiking trails. It’s … Continue Reading
April 01, 2025
Durbin, Rounds Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Retain International Graduates With Advanced STEM Degrees
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would streamline the path for advanced Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) international graduates who studied at our nation’s universities to remain in the United States. Last year, nearly half of U.S. graduate students in key fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and … Continue Reading
April 01, 2025
Durbin Meets With Argonne National Lab Director As Trump Administration Threatens Future Of Scientific Research
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Paul Kearns, Director of Argonne National Laboratory to discuss the future of scientific research as the Trump Administration takes aim at federal research institutions. During their meeting, Durbin and Dr. Kearns spoke about the disastrous impact of the Trump Administration’s funding cuts and freezes to scientific research. Durbin and Dr. Kearns also discussed Illinois’ position as a leader in quantum computing … Continue Reading
March 12, 2025
Durbin Meets With Renewable Fuels Association
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today met with members of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) to discuss federal actions needed to help ethanol production in Illinois and nationally. Durbin has been a long-time supporter of biofuels production in Illinois. Attending the meeting was a representative from Big River Resources, which operates an ethanol plant in Galva, Illinois. “Today, I sat … Continue Reading
February 26, 2025
Durbin Exposes Trump's Phony "Energy Emergency," Which Will Only Cut American Jobs And Enrich Big Oil Billionaires
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) disparaged the Trump Administration’s fabricated “energy emergency,” which President Trump declared in a vile effort to use additional presidential authority to fast-track the construction of oil pipelines and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, among many other pro-fossil fuel projects. The false emergency is a thinly veiled effort to appease President Trump’s wealthy donors at the expense of the … Continue Reading
February 26, 2025
Durbin Talks Transformers, Clean Energy With IMEA/IMUA
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of the Illinois Municipal Electric/Utilities Association (IMEA/IMUA) to discuss clean energy tax credits and addressing the supply chain issues that have led to a shortage of transformers, which are an essential component of electrical infrastructure that adjusts the voltage of currents moving through electrical wires. Due to a sluggish supply chain, building sectors and utilities are grappling with an … Continue Reading