2025 Articles

Editor’s Note By William J. Anaya March 2025 Save the date for ISBA’s 23rd Annual Environmental Law Conference on Thursday, May 22, 2025 and Friday, May 23, 2025 and an introduction to the issue from the editor.

Editor’s Note By William J. Anaya January 2025 An introduction to the issue from the editor.

Executive Orders, Department Memoranda, Hyperbole, Administrative Preferences, and Aspirational, Reasonable or Necessary Regulations and Actions—2025 By William J. Anaya March 2025 A breakdown of the Trump Administration's revisions to environmental law of interest to practitioners.

1 comment (Most recent March 24, 2025)

Extended Producer Responsibility Laws in 2025 By Sydney Weiss & Emily N. Masalski January 2025 Extended Producer Responsibility laws represent a pivotal shift in environmental policy, encouraging producers to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products, including post-consumer waste. EPR laws are designed to reduce landfill waste; promote recycling, composting, and use of post-consumer recycled content; and require manufacturers to address the environmental impact of their products. These laws require “producers” (typically defined as those who manufacture the package) to manage the collection, recycling, or disposal of products after they have reached the end of their useful lives, typically by financing recycling programs or implementing take-back programs.

Is PFAS the Next Asbestos? By Eric Berry January 2025 PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of thousands of chemicals manufactured since the 1940s for use in consumer products and industrial processes. This article presents an overview of the PFAS phenomenon.

Justice Is in the Doing By Justice Michael B. Hyman January 2025 A discouraged lawyer receives a visit from a special ghost of presidents past.

LAWPAC Needs You! March 2025 The Illinois Lawyers’ Political Action Committee (LAWPAC) needs your help to fulfill its mission to support the legislative goals of the ISBA and Illinois’ legal community.

New Carbon Capture and Sequestration Act & CCS Project Update By Laura Harmon January 2025 On July 18, 2024, Governor Pritzker signed SB1289 creating the Safety and Aid for the Environment in Carbon Capture and Sequestration, which addresses environmental and safety regulations, prohibition of the injection of CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, ownership of pore space, integration and unitization of pore space for CO2 sequestration before the IDNR.

U.S. Senate Committee Unanimously Reports Brownfields Reauthorization Legislation By Michael Galano March 2025 The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) on Feb. 5, 2025, held a markup on the Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 347), where the legislation was unanimously reported to the full Senate. To date, floor consideration has not been scheduled, and a U.S. House of Representatives companion measure has not yet been introduced in the 119th Congress.

What Is New in PFAS Remediation Technology? By Eric Berry March 2025 PFAS are found virtually everywhere, are highly durable, and are regulated at very low levels (parts per trillion) at both state and federal levels. This article discusses utilizing effective treatment technology to remediate PFAS.