October 17, 2002
Sierra Club Report Links Campaign Contributions, Dirty Water Votes
"Campaign Cash vs. Clean Water"
Sierra Club today released a report, entitled "Campaign Cash vs. Clean Water", that examines the relationship between how legislators voted on key water quality measures in the current General Assembly, and campaign contributions from interests that lobbied against the proposals.
"The public may want cleaner water, but special interests who prefer the status quo have blocked progress in Springfield," said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter.
According to the report, between January, 2000 and July, 2001, special interests that lobbied against the clean water proposals contributed $194,545 to legislators who did not support either measure.
In 2001, the Illinois House passed House Bill 604, sponsored by State Representative Ricca Slone (D-Peoria) which would have reformed the way the state regulates the extension of new sewer lines in developing areas to better protect rivers, lakes, and streams that are at risk from pollution from poorly planned development. The measure passed on a vote of 71-29 on March 23, 2001, and was never called for a vote in the State Senate.
In 2002, the Illinois House voted on House Bill 6013, the Illinois Wetland Protection Act, sponsored by State Representative Karen May (D-Highland Park). HB 6013 would have established state protections for wetland areas that lost federal protection following a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2001. Wetlands are critical for filtering pollutants out of rivers, lakes, and streams. HB 6013 failed on a vote of 29-55-31 on April 3, 2002.
"Both of these measures would have made Illinois' waters safer for drinking, for swimming, and for wildlife," said Darin.
For the report, Sierra Club examined donations from the interests that opposed the bills to two groups of legislators: those who voted for both of the clean water measures, and those who failed to support either of them.
According to the report, the average total contributed by the interest groups to a legislator who did not support the measures was $5,558.43, or 3.5 times the average amount contributed to a legislator who voted in favor of clean water each time: $1640.40.
"This is a frustratingly familiar pattern, where special interests are able to block popular legislation with high-priced lobbyists and well-placed campaign contributions. Voters deserve legislators who will put constituents above contributors," said David Morrison, coordinator of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.
Download the full report (Adobe PDF 1.8 MG).