PEER in Illinois

PEER's environmental work is solely directed by the needs of its members. As a consequence, we have the distinct honor of serving resource professionals who daily cast profiles in courage in cubicles across the country.

Find out about Illinois’s whistleblower law

Following are PEER news releases, white papers, surveys and other activities for Illinois:


News Releases for Illinois
January 6, 2005  MISSISSIPPI BARGE TRAFFIC DOWN SHARPLY IN ‘04 — New Numbers May Be Death Knell for Big Locks Project
October 6, 2004  NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCE RIPS CORPS UPPER MISSISSIPPI PLAN — Third NAS Report Is Scalding -- Most Critical
August 2, 2004  CORPS VIOLATES ITS OWN RULES ON MISSISSIPPI STUDY — $70 Million "Draft" Is Internally Inconsistent, Intentionally Inaccurate & Incomplete
June 7, 2004  UPPER MISSISSIPPI PROJECT RETURNS ONLY NICKEL ON THE DOLLAR — Both Barge Traffic and Congestion Continue to Drop as Senate Vote Nears
April 27, 2004  TAXPAYER & GREEN GROUPS SLAM MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR MISSISSIPPI RIVER PLAN — "Twice Cooked Pork" Report Released
April 15, 2004  IN BUDGET BUSTING MOVE, CORPS OF ENGINEERS PROPOSES MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR MISSISSIPPI RIVER LOCK EXPANSION — Conservation Groups Oppose Project
February 9, 2004  BUSH ADMINISTRATION ZEROES OUT UPPER MISSISSIPPI LOCKS — Army Corps Civil Works Program Slashed
January 22, 2004  MISSISSIPPI RIVER BARGE TRAFFIC DOWN AGAIN IN 2003 — Need for New Locks Fading
December 11, 2003  NEW NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCE REPORT BLASTS CORPS PLAN FOR UPPER MISSISSIPPI — NAS Tells Corps to Take Controversial Project Back to the Drawing Board
December 9, 2003  ARMY CORPS SUED ON MISSISSIPPI BARGE PLAN — Economic Plan on Controversial $2.5 Billion Project Flawed
November 26, 2003  BARGE TRAFFIC DOWN AGAIN IN 2003 — Industry Cites Overcapacity & Slow Growth -- Undercutting Case for Mississippi Lock Expansion
August 20, 2003  CORPS ECONOMIC MODELS FOR MISSISSIPPI NOT PEER REVIEWED — Troubled Study Violates Data Quality Act
January 20, 2003  BARGE TRAFFIC CONTINUES DROPPING ON MISSISSIPPI AND ILLINOIS RIVERS — New Figures at Odds With Corps Plans for Lock Expansions
June 12, 2002  BARGE TRAFFIC DROPS ON MISSISSIPPI AND ILLINOIS RIVERS; — New Figures At Odds With Corps Plans for Lock Expansion
December 11, 2001  SHIPPING DECLINES ON MISSISSIPPI AND ILLINOIS RIVERS — New Figures Undercut Need for Billion-Dollar Lock Project
September 13, 2000  CHICAGO GETS SPECIAL CLEAN AIR EXEMPTION — Unprecedented Pre-Election Deal Rushed Through

PEER does not have a Illinois chapter, but if you would like to start one, let us know.

As a service organization, PEER relies on current or former agency employees to point out issues to work on. If you work for a resource management agency, and you struggle with:

  • political interference with science-based decisions,
  • undue influence of industry into permitting decisions,
  • a management hostile to the conservation views of staff,
  • censorship of job-related opinions, or
    • anti-government threats from your community

PEER can help!
Our job is to deliver the problem to your agency decision-makers and the public while protecting the anonymitiy of the messanger. This may be as simple as a letter from PEER to your supervisor that says, "we're watching," or as complex as a legal challenge to your administration. To see examples of common tactics we've used in other states, check out our agency surveys, white papers and news releases.

As with all of our work, every project is employee directed. That means you call the shots.

For more information, contact PEER at info@peer.org or (202) 265-7337.