Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Energy and the Environment
Durbin, Schakowsky, Chicago Delegation Urge EPA To Expand Eligibility Guidelines For Clean School Bus Program
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9) today led 12 of their Illinois colleagues in sending a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging him to expand eligibility for the new EPA Clean School Bus Program (CSBP) to improve its accessibility to Chicago-area schools and correct additional oversights in the implementation process. The program, a $5 billion effort established under the bipartisan … Continue Reading
June 13, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Urge Illinois School District To Apply For EPA Clean School Bus Program
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a letter to more than 300 Illinois school district administrators to inform them that their districts are eligible to participate in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean School Bus Program (CSBP). The program, a $5 billion effort established under the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, aims to convert the nation's school bus fleets to low- and zero-emission … Continue Reading
June 03, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $245,000 In EPA Funding To Support Water Quality Monitoring
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $245,000, through the BEACH Act grant program, to Illinois. The grant funding will support the state in developing and implementing a beach monitoring and notification program that will protect the public by monitoring beaches for bacteria, identifying local pollution sources, and reporting these results to EPA. "The … Continue Reading
May 27, 2022
Durbin, Romney, Casten, Calvert Call For Robust Research Funding in Final Competition Bill
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) and U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL-6) and Ken Calvert (R-CA-42) sent a bipartisan letter to Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) and House-passed America COMPETES Act conferees urging the lawmakers to oppose provisions in USICA that would allocate a high, fixed percentage of future research funding at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE) … Continue Reading
May 17, 2022
Durbin Discusses Funding For Fermilab LBNF/DUNE With Secretary Of Energy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm about federal funding requests for the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE), a project run by Fermilab in Illinois. In March, Durbin secured $189 million for LBNF/DUNE in the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) omnibus appropriations bill. On the call, Durbin explained the importance of Fermilab's research and urged the Secretary to … Continue Reading
May 10, 2022
Durbin Meets With Fermilab Director
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Fermilab Director Lia Merminga to discuss basic science research and projects at Fermilab like the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE). Durbin secured $189 million for LBNF/DUNE in the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) omnibus appropriations bill Congress passed in March. "National labs, like Illinois' own Fermilab, have pushed the boundaries of scientific discovery with unmatched … Continue Reading
March 08, 2022
Durbin Statement On Biden Administration's Announcement To Ban Russian Oil Imports
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, released the following statement after the Biden Administration announced a ban to Russian oil imports: "I applaud the Biden Administration's announcement to ban Russian oil imports. We cannot continue to purchase millions of barrels of oil to help fund Putin's unprovoked and unjustified war. This is another important step in tightening economic pressure on Putin and his cowardly enablers and … Continue Reading
March 02, 2022
Durbin Talks Clean Energy With Illinois Municipal Electric And Utilities Association
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with Illinois members of the Illinois Municipal Electric/Utilities Association (IEMA/IMUA) to discuss clean energy tax incentives, climate change policy, and grid security. During their conversation, Durbin spoke about the importance of transitioning the power sector to carbon-free energy sources and the urgent need to secure the United States' electrical grid from cybersecurity threats. "Today, I had a great … Continue Reading
February 18, 2022
Durbin, Manchin, Barrasso, And Blackburn Introduce DOE Science For The Future Act Of 2022
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, John Barrasso (R-WY), Ranking Member of the Committee, and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Department of Energy (DOE) Science for the Future Act of 2022. This bipartisan legislation strengthens our nation's investment in world-leading scientific research by providing the first-ever comprehensive authorization for the DOE's Office of … Continue Reading
February 03, 2022
Durbin Joins Bipartisan Letter To President Biden Urging Funding For PFAS Research And Remediation In FY2023 Budget Request
WASHINGTON -This week, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) to send a bipartisan letter urging President Biden to prioritize robust funding to combat per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget request to Congress. The letter asks for funding to support agencies and programs that will help close gaps in PFAS research, protect public health and the environment from PFAS contamination, … Continue Reading
January 07, 2022
Durbin, Markey, Bowman, Schakowsky Urge Biden Administration To Protect Consumers From Unfairly High Heating And Energy Prices This Winter
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY-16), and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9) in a bicameral letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Richard Glick urging the agency to use its authority to protect consumers from unfairly high energy costs. "We write to express our concern in regard to the effect that anticipated increases in heating and energy costs will have on our … Continue Reading
December 22, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth, Members Of Delegation Call On Amazon To Review Safety Procedures Following Collapse Of Edwardsville Warehouse
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Bobby Rush (D-IL-01), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Marie Newman (D-IL-03), Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL-04), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), and Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today sent a letter to … Continue Reading
December 09, 2021
Durbin Meets With Navajo Nation On America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, Protecting Land In Utah
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met virtually with members of the Navajo Nation and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to discuss building support for Durbin's America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, which would protect 8.4 million acres of land in Utah that is rich in archaeological resources and home to numerous rare plant and animal species. During their conversation, Durbin heard about the importance of the landscape and cultural resources in the Utah lands to the … Continue Reading
November 30, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth Urge Biden To Designate Cahokia Mounds As Unit Of National Park System
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth today sent a letter to President Biden urging him to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to incorporate the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site under the National Park System and offer additional protections for the ancient mounds in St. Clair and Madison counties. In their letter, the Senators call back to Durbin's 2014 request for the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct a reconnaissance study … Continue Reading
November 18, 2021
Durbin Delivers Speech At Environmental Law And Policy Center Forum
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined the Environmental Law & Policy Center's (ELPC) monthly forum, ELPC Thinks, to deliver a speech highlighting the impact the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will make by investing in climate solutions, clean renewable energy, and clean transportation solutions. During his speech, Durbin spoke about the rich, natural resources the Midwest is home to, including the Great Lakes, and touched on how the … Continue Reading
November 04, 2021
Durbin: COP26 Is An Opportunity For The U.S. To Take Bold Steps Addressing Climate Crisis
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor about the global significance of the United States' participation in the U.N.'s 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) climate summit in Glasgow. In his remarks, Durbin praised President Biden for reaffirming the U.S.' position as a global leader in the fight against climate change. "This gathering is an opportunity for the United States and our allies to come together - for the first time in years- around … Continue Reading
November 03, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Designate New Philadelphia, Illinois A National Historical Park
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) this week introduced legislation that would designate the original town of New Philadelphia, Illinois, as a National Historical Park. New Philadelphia, now incorporated into Barry, Illinois, in Pike County, was the first town platted and legally registered by an African American, Frank McWorter. Founded in 1836, New Philadelphia's population peaked in 1865 as home to 29 households and 160 people. By … Continue Reading
October 13, 2021
Durbin Statement On Appointment Of Debra Shore To Lead EPA Region 5
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the Biden Administration announced that Debra Shore, current Chicago Metropolitan Water District Commissioner and Illinois resident, will be appointed to lead U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5: "EPA Region 5 is home to some of the Midwest's greatest assets, including the Great Lakes. But protecting our precious resources from persistent air, water, and land pollution … Continue Reading
September 23, 2021
Durbin Meets With CEO Climate Dialogue
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with the CEO Climate Dialogue, a large group of companies and environmental groups that support carbon pricing as a means to combat climate change. During the meeting, Durbin spoke about his legislation, America's Clean Future Fund Act. Durbin's legislation would reduce carbon emissions and accelerate the U.S. transition to a green economy by leveraging revenue raised by a carbon fee to fund a new federal agency … Continue Reading
August 31, 2021
Durbin Joins Environmental Leaders For Discussion On Clean Energy, Infrastructure
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with leaders of Illinois environmental groups to discuss the state's clean energy and infrastructure priorities. On the call, Durbin provided details on the passed budget resolution and suggested provisions in the upcoming reconciliation bill, including a Clean Electricity Payment Program (CEPP), which would pay utilities to produce more clean energy each year. Durbin and the environmental leaders went on to discuss … Continue Reading