Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Energy and the Environment
Durbin Discusses Sewer Improvements With Centreville Residents, Local Officials
CENTREVILLE - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the ongoing sewage and flooding problems that have impacted the Centreville area for decades with residents, local leaders, and people involved in projects to make critical infrastructure improvements. "The chronic wastewater flooding issues that have impacted Centreville have led to serious problems for residents and are a threat to public health," Durbin said. "I will continue to work with state and local leaders to identify … Continue Reading
March 11, 2021
Durbin Discusses Climate Solutions at Agriculture Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today participated in a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing titled: "Farmers and Foresters: Opportunities to Lead in Tackling Climate Change." During the hearing, Durbin shared his interest in learning more about how the agriculture community is working to reduce carbon emissions and how that can be integrated with federal policies. Durbin also introduced John Reifsteck, CEO of GROWMARK in Bloomington, … Continue Reading
March 10, 2021
Durbin Introduces Bill to Invest in a Clean Climate Future and Spur Job Creation
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced the introduction of America's Clean Future Fund Act, a bill that would spur job creation by investing in a clean energy economy. The bill would achieve critical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, facilitate a fair transition for workers from declining energy sectors, and renew America's commitment to remain a world leader in technology, innovation, and a sustainable future. The bill also would provide $50 billion … Continue Reading
March 08, 2021
Durbin, Bipartisan Colleagues Call on USDA to Assist Biofuels Industry
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, along with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and seven Senate colleagues, today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the department to assist biofuel producers hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. "We have been advocating for targeted relief for the biofuels industry since last spring when we were … Continue Reading
January 25, 2021
Durbin, Senators to E-Commerce Companies: Reduce Plastic Use in Your Packaging to Protect Environment
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) today sent a letter to Amazon, Walmart, Apple, Home Depot, Target, Wayfair, Best Buy, and Costco - the largest e-commerce companies in America - urging them to reduce the amount of plastic used in their packaging. Last month, Oceana published a report that Amazon was responsible for 465 million pounds of plastic packaging waste last … Continue Reading
January 19, 2021
Durbin Discusses Environmental Protection and Justice with Michael Regan, Biden Nominee for EPA Administrator
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Michael Regan, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). During their Zoom call, Durbin and Regan discussed Illinois environmental priorities and climate change, and spoke about the importance of not just reversing Trump Administration roll backs of EPA rules, but pursuing an aggressive agenda that addresses climate change and protects communities that have long-suffered from … Continue Reading
January 15, 2021
Durbin Discusses Protecting National Parks and Monuments with Rep. Deb Haaland, Biden Nominee for Secretary of Interior
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with U.S. Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM-01), President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of Interior. During their Zoom call, Durbin and Haaland discussed the importance of restoring and protecting National Parks and Monuments, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante Monuments, which were reduced by 85 percent by the Trump Administration. Durbin also spoke to Haaland about his bill that would protect the Cahokia … Continue Reading
October 08, 2020
Durbin, Colleagues Call For Inclusion Of PFAs Provisions In Final FY21 NDAA
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in leading a bipartisan letter on behalf of 19 other Senators today to Senate and House Armed Services Committee leadership urging the inclusion of several provisions in the final fiscal year (FY) 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to prevent and address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. The NDAA is the annual … Continue Reading
October 02, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $3.2 Million In FEMA Reimbursement For Flooding Recovery
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois has been awarded a total of $3,248,722 in federal funding to offset costs related to the historic flooding that occurred from February 24 to July 3, 2019. The funding, awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will go to the Illinois Department of Transportation to help cover the costs of emergency response and flooding prevention efforts in Springfield. "I saw firsthand the … Continue Reading
September 18, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth: Trump Administration Rollback Of Toxic Metals Pollution Regulation Could Further Harm Lake Michigan
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today slammed the Trump Administration's recent rollback of Obama-era pollution standards, specifically a 2015 rule that regulates how coal-fired power plants dispose of toxic metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, and selenium in wastewater that flows into U.S. bodies of water, including Lake Michigan. In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Durbin and … Continue Reading
September 09, 2020
Durbin Joins CEO Climate Dialogue To Discuss Bill To Fund A Clean Climate Future Fund
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke to members of the CEO Climate Dialogue, a group of 21 companies and four environmental nonprofit organizations, to discuss Durbin's America's Clean Future Fund Act. The bill, introduced in August, would spur job creation by investing in a clean energy economy, achieve critical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, facilitate a fair transition for workers from declining energy sectors, and renew America's commitment to remain a world … Continue Reading
September 09, 2020
Durbin Introduces Bill To Create Civilian Conservation Corps
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced the introduction of the RENEW Conservation Corps Act, a bill that would create a civilian conservation corps that provides valuable job training and work experience to Americans while also completing needed maintenance and restoration of parks, trails, and natural areas. Modeled after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps - which employed, educated, and trained three million young men during the Great … Continue Reading
August 28, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $3 Million In FEMA Reimbursement Funding For COVID-19 Emergency Response In Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois will receive $3 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to offset costs related to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal funding was awarded to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) as reimbursement for implementing training and other safety measures at assisted-living, nursing, and rehabilitation facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Throughout … Continue Reading
August 28, 2020
Durbin Statement On Exelon Decision To Close Byron & Dresden Generating Stations
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding Exelon's announcement to close its Byron Generating Station in Byron, Illinois, and Dresden Generating Station in Morris, Illinois, in fall 2021: "The closure of Byron and Dresden Generating Stations will have significant impacts on the local economy and Illinois workers. In the days and months ahead, I am committed to fighting for these jobs and helping to create additional good paying jobs in … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
Durbin Introduces Bill To Fund A Clean Climate Future
CHICAGO - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced the introduction of America's Clean Future Fund Act, a bill that would spur job creation by investing in a clean energy economy, achieve critical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, facilitate a fair transition for workers from declining energy sectors, and renew America's commitment to remain a world leader in technology, innovation, and a sustainable future. The bill would provide $50 billion in its first year for investments in … Continue Reading
July 27, 2020
Durbin Presses EPA To Explain COVID-19 Facility Reopening Strategies
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide information on its plan to safely reopen facilities and resume operations. In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Durbin urged the agency work to ensure that any effort to reopen facilities be done so at an appropriate time, based on scientific data, and incorporate a clear and comprehensive operations plan to protect employees and their families. "As the EPA continues … Continue Reading
June 17, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Senate Passage Of Bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act, landmark legislation to preserve and protect our country's public lands. The bipartisan legislation provides permanent and full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses the nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog in our national parks and other land management agencies. Durbin and Duckworth are cosponsors … Continue Reading
June 17, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Senate Passage Of Bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act, landmark legislation to preserve and protect our country's public lands. The bipartisan legislation provides permanent and full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses the nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog in our national parks and other land management agencies. Durbin and Duckworth are cosponsors … Continue Reading
April 27, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Express Concern Over ArcelorMittal Inspection Summary, Urge EPA To Take Action
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) expressed concerns over the results of a recent Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) inspection summary of ArcelorMittal USA's Burns Harbor facility that showed the company's self-monitoring program and its contract laboratory, Microbac, were both deemed unsatisfactory in terms of its procedures and laboratory methods. In August 2019, after a blast furnace wastewater failure, the Burns Harbor facility … Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Durbin Discusses Detection Of PFAS Near Scott Air Force Base With Secretary Of The Air Force
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today met with U.S. Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett to discuss the detection of the two main types of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - PFOS and PFOA - during site inspections at Scott Air Force Base (AFB), which may be impacting off-base water wells. The Air Force is now working to determine how many water wells might be impacted, whether people are consuming the … Continue Reading