(415 ILCS 85/5) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 7955)

Sec. 5. Toxic Pollution Prevention Assistance Program. There is hereby established a Toxic Pollution Prevention Assistance Program at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. The Center may establish cooperative programs with public and private colleges and universities designed to augment the implementation of this Section. The Center may establish fees, tuition, or other financial charges for participation in the Assistance Program. Through the Assistance Program, the Center:

(1) Shall provide general information about and actively publicize the advantages of and developments in toxic pollution prevention and sustainability practices.

(2) May establish courses, seminars, conferences and other events, and reports, updates, guides and other publications and other means of providing technical information for industries, local governments and citizens concerning toxic pollution prevention strategies, and may, as appropriate, work in cooperation with the Agency.

(3) Shall engage in research on toxic pollution prevention methods. Such research shall include assessments of the impact of adopting toxic pollution prevention methods on the environment, the public health, and worker exposure, and assessments of the impact on profitability and employment within affected industries.

(4) Shall provide on-site technical consulting, to the extent practicable, to help facilities to identify opportunities for toxic pollution prevention, and to develop comprehensive toxic pollution prevention plans that would include water, energy, and solid waste. To be eligible for such consulting, the owner or operator of a facility must agree to allow information regarding the results of such consulting to be shared with the public, provided that the identity of the facility shall be made available only with its consent, and trade secret information shall remain protected.

(5) May sponsor pilot projects in cooperation with the Agency, or an institute of higher education to develop and demonstrate innovative technologies and methods for toxic pollution prevention and sustainable development. The results of all such projects shall be available for use by the public, but trade secret information shall remain protected.

(6) May award grants for activities that further the purposes of this Act, including but not limited to the following:

(A) grants to not-for-profit organizations to establish free or low-cost technical assistance or educational programs to supplement the toxic pollution prevention activities of the Center;

(B) grants to assist trade associations, business organizations, labor organizations and educational institutions in developing training materials to foster toxic pollution prevention; and

(C) grants to assist industry, business organizations, labor organizations, education institutions and industrial hygienists to identify, evaluate and implement toxic pollution prevention measures and alternatives through audits, plans and programs.

The Center may establish criteria and terms for such grants, including a requirement that a grantee provide matching funds. Grant money awarded under this Section may not be spent for capital improvements or equipment.

In determining whether to award a grant, the Center shall consider at least the following:

(i) the potential of the project to prevent pollution;

(ii) the likelihood that the project will develop techniques or processes that will minimize the transfer of pollution from one environmental medium to another;

(iii) the extent to which information to be developed through the project will be applicable to other persons in the State; and

(iv) the willingness of the grant applicant to assist the Center in disseminating information about the pollution prevention methods to be developed through the project.

(7) Shall establish and operate a State information clearinghouse that assembles, catalogues and disseminates information about toxic pollution prevention and available consultant services. Such clearinghouse shall include a computer database containing information on managerial, technical and operational approaches to achieving toxic pollution prevention. The computer database must be maintained on a system designed to enable businesses, governmental agencies and the general public readily to obtain information specific to production technologies, materials, operations and products. A business shall not be required to submit to the clearinghouse any information that is a trade secret.

(8) May contract with an established institution of higher education to assist the Center in carrying out the provisions of this Section. The assistance provided by such an institution may include, but need not be limited to:

(A) engineering field internships to assist industries in identifying toxic pollution prevention opportunities;

(B) development of a toxic pollution prevention curriculum for students and faculty; and

(C) applied toxic pollution prevention and recycling research.

(9) Shall emphasize assistance to businesses that have inadequate technical and financial resources to obtain information and to assess and implement toxic pollution prevention methods.

(10) Shall publish a biannual report on its toxic pollution prevention and sustainable development activities, achievements, identified problems and future goals.

(Source: P.A. 102-1071, eff. 6-10-22.)