Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Energy and the Environment
Durbin Commends State Action on Pet Coke
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today welcomed new rules announced by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn today that would require total enclosure of petroleum coke piles and other protections associated with the potentially harmful byproduct of petroleum refining, also known as pet coke. "Driving by the pet coke piles in Chicago, I understand why the families living nearby are concerned. Exposing them and their children to dangerous air pollution containing heavy metals and ca… Continue Reading
01.08.14
Durbin, Quinn, Branstad Discuss Illinois Impact of EPA Renewable Fuel Standard Proposal
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following individual phone conversations today with Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Iowa Governor Terry Branstad regarding the importance of the biofuels and ethanol industry to Illinois jobs and the economy, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today reiterated his strong opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) current proposal reduce the renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Quinn recently took over chairmanship of the Na… Continue Reading
01.06.14
Durbin Statement on Asian Carp Management Study
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after reviewing an Army Corps of Engineers report examining several options for containing invasive species, including Asian Carp, in the Great Lakes. Durbin joined U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Carl Levin (D-MI) and other Great Lakes Senators in requesting and authorizing the report entitled the Great Lakes & Mississippi River Interbasin Study. "This study tells us that while we have bee… Continue Reading
12.11.13
Durbin: Biofuels Critical to Achieving Energy Independence, Protecting Our Environment, and Supportin Rural Economy
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following an oversight hearing today held by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to examine the Environmental Protection Agency's proposal reduce the renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today reiterated his commitment to working with his Congressional colleagues and Illinois' industry stakeholders to improve the proposal. The biofuels industry is a major job creator, especially in rural ar… Continue Reading
11.21.13
Durbin Honors 2013 CNN Hero Award Winner From East Moline, Illinois
[WASHINGTON, DC] - In a statement for the Senate record, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today honored Illinoisan Chad Pregracke, who was named a 2013 CNN Hero earlier this week. Pregracke founded the non-profit Living Lands & Waters, based in East Moline, Illinois, which organizes clean-ups of the Illinois, Mississippi, and Ohio River regions. The full text of Senator Durbin's statement for the record is below: Senator Dick Durbin Honoring 2013 CNN Hero Chad Pegracke November 21, … Continue Reading
11.15.13
Durbin Statement on New EPA Renewable Standard Proposal
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today made the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to reduce the renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). "The Renewable Fuel Standard has long been a successful driver of investment in the biofuels industry - a key tool in domestic energy independence - which supports more than 5,400 direct jobs in Illinois alone. Reducing the standard as the EPA prop… Continue Reading
09.05.13
Durbin, Bustos Urge House to Pass Water Resources Development Act
[CREVE COEUR, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today urged their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Water Resources Development Act and include legislation they authored when the House considers the measure in coming weeks. A key provision of the Senate bill is modeled on the Water Infrastructure Now Public-Private Partnership Act, which authorizes improvements to the nation's water infrastructure-including locks and d… Continue Reading
07.30.13
Senators Introduce Bill to Study Effects of Petroleum Coke
WASHINGTON - Four U.S. senators introduced legislation today to require a study of the health, environmental and safety effects of petroleum coke, a byproduct of petroleum refining that is used in energy production. The Petroleum Coke Transparency and Public Health Study Act, introduced by Richard Durbin, D-Ill.; Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich.; Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is a companion to legislation introduced in the House earlier this year by Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich. … Continue Reading
07.29.13
Durbin: House Spending Bill Would Cripple Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
[CHICAGO] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sounded the alarm about the U.S. House of Representatives' plans to cut funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) by 80 percent. Those cuts would severely impact federal programs created to address major ecological problems facing the Great Lakes, including fighting the spread of Asian carp. "The Great Lakes are one of our country's greatest treasures, but they face challenges ranging from industrial pollution to invasive spe… Continue Reading
06.28.13
Illinois Senators Work to Save Army Corps Stronghold and Its Missions to Prevent Spread of Asian Carp
WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today applauded passage of their amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill that prevents the removal of critical functions and staff from the Chicago District Office of the Army Corps of Engineers. In June, the Corps of Engineers announced an effort to move Chicago District Office functions to Detroit, potentially impacting more than 200 employees who oversee Corps projects such as Asian Carp, electric barriers … Continue Reading
06.04.13
Durbin Meets with New Energy Secretary
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to discuss the Department of Energy's commitment to moving forward with FutureGen 2.0 in Meredosia, Illinois and the importance of continued federal funding for scientific research and development programs that support work at Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab. Prior to being confirmed last month by a vote of 97 to 0 in the U.S. Senate, Moniz was the Director of the Energy Initiative at t… Continue Reading
05.15.13
Durbin: Senate Passes WRDA Bill That Invests in Illinois Priorities and Will Make Us Better Prepared for Droughts, Floods
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today said that the Water Resources Development Act of 2013 that the U.S. Senate passed earlier today by a strong bipartisan vote of 83-14 invests in Illinois priorities and will make Illinois and the Midwest better prepared for extreme weather events like droughts and floods. "This legislation is important to the commerce that moves on the Mississippi River, the Illinois River and other Illinois waterways; to those communities and towns … Continue Reading
05.02.13
Durbin: Court Ruling Will Clear the Air for Amtrak and Metra Passengers at Union Station
[CHICAGO] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded U.S. Federal Court Judge Harry Leinenweber's approval of a Consent Decree that requires the owner of the former main Chicago Post Office, International Property Developers (IPD), to operate all the exhaust fans "seven (7) days a week, twenty-four (24) hours a day" to provide ventilation for the tracks at Union Station in Chicago. The Consent Decree also allows regular inspections by Amtrak, which owns the station through its Chicago Un… Continue Reading
03.22.13
Durbin Statement on EPA Agreement with S.S. Badger Operators
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today made the following statement in reaction to the announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that they have formally lodged a consent decree requiring the S.S. Badger to stop dumping coal ash into Lake Michigan by the end of the 2014 season. "The S.S. Badger, the filthiest ship on the Great Lakes, has been given two more years to dump hundreds of tons of dangerous coal ash into Lake Michigan. The millions of people who… Continue Reading
12.20.12
Durbin: No Special Exemptions for S.S. Badger
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today on the floor of the Senate criticized the operation of the coal-fired S.S. Badger which has dumped more than 35,400 tons of coal ash - enough to coat the entire floor of Lake Michigan in a 2.5 inch thick layer of ash - since it began running 1953. Earlier this week, Durbin spoke with the Region 5 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Susan Hedman, to urge the agency to deny a permit that would allow the S.S. Badger to con… Continue Reading
12.19.12
Durbin Asks Energy Secretary to Approve Next Phase of FutureGen 2.0 Project in Meredosia
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following a vote today by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) in favor of the power purchase agreement for the power that will be generated by the FutureGen plant in Meredosia, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked Energy Secretary Steven Chu to approve the next phase of the FutureGen 2.0 project which includes preliminary design, pre-construction and engineering. "The ICC's decision today solidifies the FutureGen plant's financial viability. I thank Governor Quinn … Continue Reading
12.07.12
Durbin: Army Corps Believes Their Efforts Will Maintain Traffic Along the Mississippi River Despite Low Water Levels
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that he will convene a meeting of stakeholders - including Senators from states bordering the Mississippi River, state and local officials and representatives from industries such as agriculture and shipping - for a briefing from the Army Corps of Engineers to discuss navigation on the Mississippi River through means other than releasing additional water from the Missouri River. Durbin also announced that the Army Corps ex… Continue Reading
12.05.12
Durbin: Language Protecting Coal-Fired S.S. Badger Stripped from House Passed Bill
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the House of Representatives passed a bill to reauthorize the US Coast Guard - the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act - which is now clean of any language that would have allowed the S.S. Badger to continue dumping over 500 tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan each year. The original House bill included language that would have exempted the S.S. Badger from long-standing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regul… Continue Reading
09.20.12
Durbin, Kirk, Levin, Casey Lead Effort to Restore Great Lakes
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Great Lakes Task Force, today joined Senate Great Lakes Task Force co-chairs U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Carl Levin (D-MI) and Task Force member, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) to introduce the Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act, a bill to address the most significant challenges in the Great Lakes ecosystem. The legislation targets invasive species, nonpoint source and nutrient pollution, and will help remediate and r… Continue Reading
08.02.12
Durbin, Senators Urge President Obama to Create Drought Task Force
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and a bipartisan group of 14 Senators called for the creation of an Interagency Drought Task Force to meet the wide ranging impacts and diverse needs arising from the ongoing drought. In a letter sent earlier today, the Senators asked President Obama to direct the task force to report on the severity of the drought, the impacts to all sectors of the economy, the options available to address drought and fiscally-responsible recommendations for… Continue Reading