County Committee Proposes Federal Study on “Legacy Pollution” Near Joliet and Romeoville Refineries

Article Summary: In a draft lobbying platform presented to the Will County Board, the Legislative Committee outlined a request for a federal study to identify and mitigate health risks in neighborhoods surrounding historic industrial corridors, specifically citing refinery areas in Joliet and Romeoville.

Legacy Pollution Key Points:

• The Document: The request is part of the Federal Legislative Agenda, a policy roadmap used to guide county lobbyists in Washington D.C.

• Target Areas: The agenda specifically highlights “refinery corridors around Joliet and Romeoville” and areas impacted by historic industrial activity.

• Goal: The county is seeking a “Regional Environmental and Legacy Pollution Study” to guide health interventions and infrastructure investments.

• Justice Grants: The plan seeks expanded Environmental Justice grants for neighborhoods with “high pollution burdens,” specifically naming Fairmont, Preston Heights, and East Joliet.

Will County officials have drafted a plan to seek federal help for long-standing pollution concerns in local industrial corridors, a priority revealed in the draft FY2026 Federal Legislative Agenda presented to the County Board on Thursday, January 15, 2026.

The Federal Legislative Agenda is an annual document that serves as a set of instructions for the county’s federal lobbyists. It outlines specific funding requests and policy positions the county wants Congress to address. While the full agenda was sent back to committee on Thursday for revisions regarding a separate housing issue, the environmental section detailed a push for a “Regional Environmental and Legacy Pollution Study.”

According to the draft document, this study would “identify areas impacted by historic industrial activity, including refinery corridors around Joliet and Romeoville.”

The Legislative Committee’s proposal argues that identifying these zones will allow local officials to target federal resources where health risks are highest. “This ensures clean air, water, and a healthier environment for families who are most impacted by decades of heavy industry,” the text states.

Additionally, the draft agenda prioritizes securing expanded EPA and FEMA Environmental Justice grants. The document explicitly requests that federal resilience programs prioritize specific unincorporated areas—Fairmont, Preston Heights, and East Joliet—along with neighborhoods adjacent to intermodal corridors that face “elevated environmental and economic risks.”