State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
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[ Engrossed ][ Enrolled ][ Senate Amendment 001 ]

91_HB1893

 
                                               LRB9104708ACtm

 1        AN ACT to  amend  the  Environmental  Protection  Act  by
 2    changing Sections 19.1, 19.2, 19.3, and 19.5.

 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:

 5        Section 5.  The Environmental Protection Act  is  amended
 6    by changing Sections 19.1, 19.2, 19.3, and 19.5 as follows:

 7        (415 ILCS 5/19.1) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1019.1)
 8        Sec.  19.1.   Legislative findings.  The General Assembly
 9    finds:
10        (a)  that local government units  require  assistance  in
11    financing  the  construction of wastewater treatment works in
12    order to comply with the  State's  program  of  environmental
13    protection and federally mandated requirements;
14        (b)  that  the federal Water Quality Act of 1987 provides
15    an  important  source  of  grant  awards  to  the  State  for
16    providing assistance to local government units and  privately
17    owned  community  water  systems  through the Water Pollution
18    Control Loan Program;
19        (c)  that local  government  units  and  privately  owned
20    community  water  systems require assistance in financing the
21    construction of their public water supplies  to  comply  with
22    State and federal drinking water laws and regulations;
23        (d)  that  the  federal Safe Drinking Water Act ("SDWA"),
24    P.L.  93-532,  as  now  or  hereafter  amended,  provides  an
25    important source of capitalization grant awards to the  State
26    to provide assistance to local government units and privately
27    owned community water systems through the Public Water Supply
28    Loan Program; and
29        (e)  that  violations of State and federal drinking water
30    standards threaten the public interest, safety, and  welfare,
31    which  demands  that  the  Illinois  Environmental Protection
 
                            -2-                LRB9104708ACtm
 1    Agency expeditiously adopt emergency rules to administer  the
 2    Public Water Supply Loan Program.
 3    (Source: P.A. 90-121, eff. 7-17-97.)

 4        (415 ILCS 5/19.2) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1019.2)
 5        Sec.  19.2.   As  used  in this Title, unless the context
 6    clearly requires otherwise:
 7        (a)  "Agency" means the Illinois Environmental Protection
 8    Agency.
 9        (b)  "Fund"  means  the  Water  Revolving  Fund   created
10    pursuant  to  this  Title,  consisting of the Water Pollution
11    Control Loan Program, the Public Water Supply  Loan  Program,
12    and the Loan Support Program.
13        (c)  "Loan"  means  a  loan made from the Water Pollution
14    Control Loan Program or the Public Water Supply Loan  Program
15    to  an  eligible  local  government unit or a privately owned
16    community water system as a result of a contractual agreement
17    between the Agency and such unit.
18        (d)  "Construction"  means  any  one  or  more   of   the
19    following   which   is   undertaken  for  a  public  purpose:
20    preliminary planning to  determine  the  feasibility  of  the
21    treatment   works   or   public  water  supply,  engineering,
22    architectural, legal, fiscal or  economic  investigations  or
23    studies,   surveys,   designs,   plans,   working   drawings,
24    specifications,   procedures   or  other  necessary  actions,
25    erection,  building,  acquisition,  alteration,   remodeling,
26    improvement  or  extension of treatment works or public water
27    supplies, or the inspection or  supervision  of  any  of  the
28    foregoing items.  "Construction" also includes implementation
29    of source water quality protection measures and establishment
30    and   implementation   of  wellhead  protection  programs  in
31    accordance  with  Section  1452(k)(1)  of  the  federal  Safe
32    Drinking Water Act.
33        (e)  "Intended use plan" means a plan  which  includes  a
 
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 1    description  of  the short and long term goals and objectives
 2    of the Water Pollution Control Loan Program  and  the  Public
 3    Water  Supply  Loan  Program,  project  categories, discharge
 4    requirements,  terms  of   financial   assistance   and   the
 5    communities to be served.
 6        (f)  "Treatment  works"  means  any  devices  and systems
 7    owned by  a  local  government  unit  or  a  privately  owned
 8    community  water  system  and used in the storage, treatment,
 9    recycling, and reclamation of sewerage or  industrial  wastes
10    of  a  liquid  nature, including intercepting sewers, outfall
11    sewers, sewage collection systems, pumping  power  and  other
12    equipment,   and   appurtenances;  extensions,  improvements,
13    remodeling,  additions,  and  alterations  thereof;  elements
14    essential to provide a  reliable  recycled  supply,  such  as
15    standby  treatment  units  and clear well facilities; and any
16    works, including site acquisition of the land that will be an
17    integral  part  of  the  treatment  process  for   wastewater
18    facilities.
19        (g)  "Local    government    unit"    means   a   county,
20    municipality,  township,  municipal  or  county  sewerage  or
21    utility authority, sanitary district, public water  district,
22    improvement  authority  or  any  other  political subdivision
23    whose primary purpose is to construct, operate  and  maintain
24    wastewater   treatment  facilities  or  public  water  supply
25    facilities or both.
26        (h)"Privately owned community water system" means:
27             (1)  an  investor-owned  water  utility,  if   under
28        Illinois  Commerce Commission regulation and operating as
29        a separate and distinct water utility;
30             (2)  a   not-for-profit   water   corporation,    if
31        operating specifically as a water utility; and
32             (3)  a   mutually   owned   or  cooperatively  owned
33        community water system, if operating as a separate  water
34        utility.
 
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 1    (Source: P.A. 89-27, eff. 1-1-96; 90-121, eff. 7-17-97.)

 2        (415 ILCS 5/19.3) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1019.3)
 3        Sec. 19.3.  Water Revolving Fund.
 4        (a)  There  is hereby created within the State Treasury a
 5    Water  Revolving  Fund,  consisting  of  3   interest-bearing
 6    special  programs  to be known as the Water Pollution Control
 7    Loan Program, the Public Water Supply Loan Program,  and  the
 8    Loan Support Program, which shall be used and administered by
 9    the Agency.
10        (b)  The  Water  Pollution  Control Loan Program shall be
11    used and administered by the Agency to provide assistance  to
12    local government units for the following public purposes:
13             (1)  to  accept  and retain funds from grant awards,
14        appropriations, transfers, and payments of  interest  and
15        principal;
16             (2)  to   make  direct  loans  at  or  below  market
17        interest rates to any eligible local government  unit  to
18        finance the construction of wastewater treatments works;
19             (3)  to   make  direct  loans  at  or  below  market
20        interest rates to any eligible local government  unit  to
21        buy  or  refinance  debt  obligations for treatment works
22        incurred after March 7, 1985;
23             (4)  to guarantee or purchase  insurance  for  local
24        obligations where such action would improve credit market
25        access or reduce interest rates;
26             (5)  as  a  source  of  revenue  or security for the
27        payment of principal and interest on revenue  or  general
28        obligation  bonds issued by the State, if the proceeds of
29        such bonds will be deposited in the Fund;
30             (6)  to finance the reasonable costs incurred by the
31        Agency in the administration of the Fund; and
32             (7)  to transfer funds to the  Public  Water  Supply
33        Loan Program.
 
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 1        (c)  The   Loan   Support   Program  shall  be  used  and
 2    administered by the Agency for the following purposes:
 3             (1)  to accept and retain funds  from  grant  awards
 4        and appropriations;
 5             (2)  to finance the reasonable costs incurred by the
 6        Agency  in  the  administration  of  the  Fund, including
 7        activities under Title III of  this  Act,  including  the
 8        administration of the State construction grant program;
 9             (3)  to   transfer  funds  to  the  Water  Pollution
10        Control Loan Program and the  Public  Water  Supply  Loan
11        Program;
12             (4)  to  accept  and  retain  a  portion of the loan
13        repayments;
14             (5)  to finance the development of the low  interest
15        loan program for public water supply projects;
16             (6)  to finance the reasonable costs incurred by the
17        Agency  to  provide technical assistance for public water
18        supplies; and
19             (7)  to finance the reasonable costs incurred by the
20        Agency for public water system supervision  programs,  to
21        administer  or  provide  for technical assistance through
22        source  water  protection  programs,   to   develop   and
23        implement  a  capacity development strategy, to delineate
24        and assess source water  protection  areas,  and  for  an
25        operator certification program in accordance with Section
26        1452 of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
27        (d)  The  Public  Water Supply Loan Program shall be used
28    and administered by the Agency to provide assistance to local
29    government units and privately owned community water  systems
30    for public water supplies for the following public purposes:
31             (1)  to  accept  and retain funds from grant awards,
32        appropriations, transfers, and payments of  interest  and
33        principal;
34             (2)  to   make  direct  loans  at  or  below  market
 
                            -6-                LRB9104708ACtm
 1        interest rates to any eligible local government  unit  to
 2        finance the construction of public water supplies;
 3             (3)  to  buy  or  refinance the debt obligation of a
 4        local government unit for costs incurred on or after  the
 5        effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997;
 6             (4)  to   guarantee  local  obligations  where  such
 7        action would  improve  credit  market  access  or  reduce
 8        interest rates;
 9             (5)  as  a  source  of  revenue  or security for the
10        payment of principal and interest on revenue  or  general
11        obligation  bonds issued by the State, if the proceeds of
12        such bonds will be deposited into the Fund; and
13             (6)  to  transfer  funds  to  the  Water   Pollution
14        Control Loan Program.
15        (e)   The  Agency  is  designated  as  the  administering
16    agency  of the Fund.  The Agency shall submit to the Regional
17    Administrator of the United States  Environmental  Protection
18    Agency  an  intended use plan which outlines the proposed use
19    of funds available to the State.  The Agency shall  take  all
20    actions  necessary to secure to the State the benefits of the
21    federal Water Pollution Control  Act  and  the  federal  Safe
22    Drinking Water Act, as now or hereafter amended.
23    (Source: P.A. 89-27, eff. 1-1-96; 90-121, eff. 7-17-97.)

24        (415 ILCS 5/19.5) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1019.5)
25        Sec. 19.5.  Loans; repayment.
26        (a)  The  Agency  shall  have the authority to make loans
27    for a public purpose to local government units and  privately
28    owned   community  water  systems  for  the  construction  of
29    treatment works and public water  supplies  pursuant  to  the
30    regulations promulgated under Section 19.4.
31        (b)  Loans made from the Fund shall provide for:
32             (1)  a schedule of disbursement of proceeds;
33             (2)  a  fixed  rate  that includes interest and loan
 
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 1        support based upon priority, but the  loan  support  rate
 2        shall  not  exceed one-half of the fixed rate established
 3        for each loan;
 4             (3)  a schedule of repayment;
 5             (4)  initiation of principal repayments  within  one
 6        year after the project is operational; and
 7             (5)  a confession of judgment upon default.
 8        (c)  The  Agency  may  amend  existing loans to include a
 9    loan support rate only  if  the  overall  cost  to  the  loan
10    recipient is not increased.
11        (d)  A local government unit or privately owned community
12    water  system  shall secure the payment of its obligations to
13    the Fund  by  a  dedicated  source  of  repayment,  including
14    revenues  derived  from  the  imposition  of  rates, fees and
15    charges.  In the event of a delinquency as to payments to the
16    Fund, the local government unit or privately owned  community
17    water system shall revise its rates, fees and charges to meet
18    its obligations.
19    (Source: P.A. 89-27, eff. 1-1-96; 90-121, eff. 7-17-97.)

20        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
21    becoming law.

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