The content for this article was originally published by the Illinois Environmental Council.
This afternoon, the Illinois House took the final steps to override Governor Rauner's veto and enact a full budget for the first time since May of 2014. This budget impasse and related cuts, sweeps, and delays have had devastating impacts on conservation and energy programs.
The budget – passed by a bipartisan vote – is an important step towards securing a more sustainable future for Illinois.
Specifically, the following items are in the budget that passed:
- Appropriation of $50 million of the renewable energy resource fund (RERF) for the Illinois Solar for All program and sufficient funding to the Illinois Power Agency to run the program. None of the RERF money was swept.
- Complete and full funding of the Soil and Water Conservation Districts. This budget was zeroed completely 2 years ago.
- Appropriation of $50 million in past Open Space Land Acquisition Development grants (OSLAD). No OSLAD money was swept in this budget. The Natural Areas Acquisition Fund (NAAF) was swept at $2 million, but this is lower than previous sweeps.
- Federal fish and wildlife funding pass through money was finally appropriated. Had this not happened, the state would have lost $30 million in federal conservation funding.