Former Rockford mayor taking heat for environmental offenses

From staff reports

Former Rockford mayor and current Executive Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Doug Scott has at least one Illinois lawmaker calling for his removal from his current post. Allegations related to his agency’s failure to take action against several Illinois companies alleged to be violating environmental laws, and allegedly endangering the lives of Illinois residents, has put Scott squarely on the hot seat.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the IEPA has failed to present a single criminal case to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office in past two years. The same Chicago Tribune report stated that previous administrations were sending, on average, 300 environmental cases per year to the attorney general’s office as far back as the mid-1980s.

Scott was appointed to director of the IEPA by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) in 2005 and retained his position when current Gov. Pat Quinn (D) resumed the post vacated by Blagojevich’s impeachment.

The Chicago Tribune also cited the volatile history of the relationship between the state’s two top democrats, Blagojevich and Madigan, as a possible reason for the lag in reporting offenses. Citing a separate Tribune Investigation, it was found that dozens of other cases against polluters were delayed because the former governor and his top aides refused to communicate with what many now view has his political enemy in the attorney general’s office.

Also, in a statement released today, Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes has called for Quinn to remove Scott from his current job as head of the IEPA.

Check back to rockrivertimes.com for further developments in this story.