{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-durbin-illinois-delegation-urge-epa-to-fund-cleanup-of-chicago-area-waterway-system", "Duckworth, Durbin, Illinois Delegation Urge EPA to Fund Cleanup of Chicago Area Waterway System", "2024-12-20", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Tammy Duckworth", "D000622", "www.duckworth.senate.gov", "duckworth", "https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "The lawmakers sent a letter to the EPA Region 5 Administrator to ask that federal funds immediately be allocated to efforts to clean up the Chicago Area Waterway System, including the pollution at Bubbly Creek\n\n[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), Jes\u00fas G. \u201cChuy\u201d Garc\u00eda (D-IL-04), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), today sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore urging her to immediately allocate funds under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to begin the process of characterizing contaminated sediment in the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). As the lawmakers note in their letter, if these funds are allocated to clean CAWS, EPA could begin cleaning up the pollution that has plagued the south fork of the south bend of the Chicago River, known as Bubbly Creek.\n\n\u201cWe are writing to urge you in your capacity as Great Lakes National Program Manager to immediately allocate funds under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to begin the process of characterizing contaminated sediment in the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS),\u201d the lawmakers wrote.\n\n\u201cFor more than 100 years, the CAWS has suffered from pollution; specifically, the south fork of the south bend of the Chicago River, known as Bubbly Creek. This area\u2019s name comes from the bubbles generated from sanitary sewage, industrial waste, and animal waste that were disposed of in the creek for more than 100 years from the adjacent Union Stockyards and other local industries. While the stockyards no longer line this portion of the river banks, the sediment remains highly contaminated, preventing the CAWS\u2019 ecosystem from being restored,\u201d the lawmakers continued their letter.\n\nThe lawmakers explained that GLRI funds can be used to support efforts to clean up CAWS, citing the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which stated, \u201cThe Committee encourages Agency funds for Great Lakes projects to be made available for projects in the historic Great Lakes Basin, which includes the Chicago River Watershed.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers emphasized that while immediately allocating GLRI funds to the clean up is a step forward, they acknowledged that a more long-term solution is critical to cleaning up Bubbly Creek.\n\n\u201cThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can begin to address contamination in the CAWS using GLRI funds, but a long-term solution to clean up the area and restore the ecosystem will require a partnership between EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and local partners, including the City of Chicago,\u201d the lawmakers wrote.\n\nThe lawmakers continued on, underscoring that allocating these funds will not impede investments in the region.\n\n\u201cUsing the GLRI to invest in CAWS remediation will not distract from other important investments in the region. Sediment contamination characterization can begin on areas of the CAWS such as Bubbly Creek, the North Branch, North Shore Channel, Collateral Channel, or other segments of the South Branch, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Little Calumet River or Cal-Sag Channel at modest expense. Initiating this effort by the end of 2024 would allow adequate time for EPA to plan for expanded CAWS efforts in the coming years,\u201d the lawmakers wrote.\n\nThe lawmakers concluded their letter by renewing their commitment to work with federal, state, and local partners to address the pollution in CAWS.\n\n\u201cThe Chicago Area Waterway System has suffered from pollution and neglect for the last century. Thank you for your efforts in addressing this issue and creating a new legacy for the region. We look forward to continuing to partner with EPA and other federal, state, and local agencies to deliver a cleaner waterway for the community,\u201d the lawmakers concluded their letter.\n\nA copy of the letter is available here and below:\n\nDecember 20, 2024\n\nDear Regional Administrator Shore:\n\nWe are writing to urge you in your capacity as Great Lakes National Program Manager to immediately allocate funds under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to begin the process of characterizing contaminated sediment in the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS).\n\nThe CAWS is a vital part of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The more than 100-mile network of rivers, canals, and locks in Chicago and Northwest Indiana provides a navigation connection between the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River. Contaminated sediment within the CAWS is negatively impacting our constituents, fish, wildlife, development, recreation, and many other ecosystem services throughout the Chicago metro region.\n\nFor more than 100 years, the CAWS has suffered from pollution; specifically, the south fork of the south bend of the Chicago River, known as Bubbly Creek. This area\u2019s name comes from the bubbles generated from sanitary sewage, industrial waste, and animal waste that were disposed of in the creek for more than 100 years from the adjacent Union Stockyards and other local industries. While the stockyards no longer line this portion of the river banks, the sediment remains highly contaminated, preventing the CAWS\u2019 ecosystem from being restored.\n\nFor the past two decades, members of the Illinois Congressional delegation have worked to restore the CAWS\u2019 ecosystem and address these contamination issues. Despite disputes about liability that have slowed cleanup efforts, we remain committed to addressing the contamination in the CAWS. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-42) included the following report language: \u201cThe Committee encourages Agency funds for Great Lakes projects to be made available for projects in the historic Great Lakes Basin, which includes the Chicago River Watershed.\u201d\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can begin to address contamination in the CAWS using GLRI funds, but a long-term solution to clean up the area and restore the ecosystem will require a partnership between EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and local partners, including the City of Chicago. The Great Lakes Legacy Act (P.L. 107-303), now part of the GLRI, was established to address contaminated sediment attributable to historical sources using an important cost-share system to allow municipalities, states, tribes, local water resource agencies, businesses, and the federal government to share in bearing the cost. We encourage EPA to implement this model as it begins to address pollution in the CAWS.\n\nUsing the GLRI to invest in CAWS remediation will not distract from other important investments in the region. Sediment contamination characterization can begin on areas of the CAWS such as Bubbly Creek, the North Branch, North Shore Channel, Collateral Channel, or other segments of the South Branch, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Little Calumet River or Cal-Sag Channel at modest expense. Initiating this effort by the end of 2024 would allow adequate time for EPA to plan for expanded CAWS efforts in the coming years.\n\nThe Chicago Area Waterway System has suffered from pollution and neglect for the last century. Thank you for your efforts in addressing this issue and creating a new legacy for the region. We look forward to continuing to partner with EPA and other federal, state, and local agencies to deliver a cleaner waterway for the community.\n\nSincerely,\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-durbin-illinois-delegation-urge-epa-to-fund-cleanup-of-chicago-area-waterway-system"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7169651109725237, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}