Pere PAs sUsheO iNet bebe El Le 13 
Planning & Conservation League’s 
Legislative Program for Illinois 
Aims to Improve Environment 
Good ideas will help to improve 
the environment in Illinois — 
when they become good laws, vig- 
orously enforced. 
The Illinois Planning and Con- 
servation League was formed to 
help provide the sound legal base 
necessary for environmental qual- 
ity by developing a legislative pro- 
gram and presenting the case for 
these public interest measures to 
legislators in Springfield. 
A summary of each proposal is 
given below. If you wish to obtain 
the full text of one or more pro- 
posals, please send a_ stamped, 
self-addressed business size envel- 
ope to the IPCL at 122 South 
Michigan Avenue, Room _ 1900, 
Chicago 60603, along with 75 cents 
for each of the proposals you 
desire. Please refer to the proposals 
by the numbers in parentheses: 
CONSERVATION EASEMENT: En- 
ables any public body in Illinois 
to acquire a partial interest in land 
and to protect its undeveloped 
character. (1) 
THORN CREEK WOODS: Pro- 
vides a $3 million appropriation to 
preserve the largest stand of forest 
between Chicago and Kanka- 
kee. (2) 
SCENIC HIGHWAY EASEMENT: 
Establishes a commission to des- 
ignate scenic highways and _ to 
protect their appearence by regu- 
lating construction such as bill- 
boards. (3) 
PREPAID WASTE DISPOSAL: 
Partially refundable deposits or 
disposal taxes on goods which 
cause disposal problems. Encour- 
ages responsible packaging and 
finances clean-up efforts. (4) 
SHORELINE AND FLOODPLAIN 
REGULATION: Needed standards 
for sanitary treatment to ensure 
water purity. (5) 
SLUDGE DUMPING: Removes 
restrictions on sludge dumping by 
Chicago Sanitary District outside 
its boundaries. (6) 
DRAINAGE DISTRICTS: Requires 
districts to consider environmental 
effects of modifications in the 
drainage system. (7) 
LIMITING RADIOACTIVE POL- 
LUTION: Reduces maximum per- 
missible concentration of radioac- 
tive wastes so that the legal limits 
would more closely reflect ordinary 
levels of operation. (8) 
STRENGTHENING THE ENVIR- 
ONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT: 
Increases fines for violations and 
awards half the fine to those giv- 
ing information leading to convic- 
tion. (9, 10) 
HISTORIC SITE PRESERVA- 
TION: Apples existing law to 
counties (11), creates a_ histcric 
easement (12), and institutes an 
Illinois Historic Preservation Com- 
mission to initiate needed preser- 
vation where municipalities and 
counties do not. (13). 
MODULAR HOUSING DEVELOP- 
MENT CODE: Investigation of 
legislation setting standards cf 
quality for modular housing. (14) 
HEARINGS FOR NONFEDERAL 
HIGHWAYS: Extends federal re- 
quirements for public review of 
route selection to Illinois toll high- 
ways. (15) 
PLANNING AND CONSERVA- 
TION LAWS STUDY COMMIS- 
SION: Creates a permanent legis- 
lative commission to which 
conservation groups could relate. 
(16) 
STATE CONSERVATION COM- 
MISSION: Establishes an agency 
similar to the Missouri Conserva- 
tion Commission. Funding would 
not depend on annual legislative 
appropriations. (17) 
