Agencies
Services
Illinois Commission on Environmental Justice
Overview
The Illinois Environmental Justice Act (415 ILCS 155/), established the Illinois Commission on Environmental Justice (EJ Commission).
The principle of EJ requires that no segment of the population, regardless of race, national origin, age, or income, should bear disproportionately high or adverse effects of environmental pollution.
The Commission shall:
- Advise State entities on environmental justice and related community issues
- Review and analyze the impact of current State laws and policies on the issue of environmental justice and sustainable communities
- Assess the adequacy of State and local laws to address the issue of environmental justice and sustainable communities
- Develop criteria to assess whether communities in the State may be experiencing environmental justice issues
- Recommend options to the Governor for addressing issues, concerns, or problems related to environmental justice that surface after reviewing State laws and policies, including prioritizing areas of the State that need immediate attention.
The Illinois EPA is tasked with providing administrative and other support to the EJ Commission. This includes scheduling the quarterly meetings, organizing and developing the agendas, helping to facilitate the meetings, taking minutes and recording of the meetings, and in accordance with the Open Meetings Act, ensuring all of this information is publicly available on the Agency’s website.
EJ Commission meetings are open to the public and anyone interested may join. Past and upcoming meeting schedule, notices, recordings, and minutes can be found on the Illinois EPA Commission on Environmental Justice meetings webpage.
To learn more about the function, composition, and information regarding nominations and appointments, visit the Illinois Commission on Environmental Justice Flyer.
Contact
Paulina Lopez-Santos, EJ Policy Administrator, Office of EJ, Illinois EPA, (312) 832-2182