HB2521 Summary: Environmental Justice Act

• Creates the Illinois Environmental Justice Advisory Council with 9-15 members to provide independent advice to the Governor and state agencies on environmental justice issues, with at least 4 members from environmental justice populations.

• Requires the Environmental Protection Agency to develop an enforcement strategy prioritizing environmental justice populations, compile annual enforcement reports, establish a supplemental environmental project bank for settlement funding, and publish progress reports every 5 years.

• Mandates enhanced environmental impact analysis and public participation for projects located within or near environmental justice populations (within 1 mile, or 5 miles for air quality projects), including multilingual reports and culturally appropriate public meetings.

• Directs the Agency to initiate rulemaking within 180 days to establish a cap on Toxics Release Inventory facilities that may be sited or expanded in environmental justice populations.

• Requires every state agency to designate an environmental justice coordinator within 30 days and develop agency-specific environmental justice policies within 180 days, with an Interagency Environmental Justice Working Group to coordinate efforts across agencies.