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SUPER BOWL LII PATRIOTS VS.EAGLES,5:30 P.M. SUNDAY, NBC-5 A+E Alook at what SUPERSUNDAY the final acts Can the high-flying Eagles stop the Patriots dynasty? Chicago Sports of artists tell us NUCCIO DINUZZO/TRIBUNE
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Questions? Call 1-800-Tribune Sunday,February4,2018 Breaking news at chicagotribune.com What GOP memo says —and what it doesn’t File’saccuracy difficult to assess without sources By Chad Day Associated Press
WASHINGTON—After morethana week of partisan bickering and social media-fueledbuildup,the #releasethe- memo crowd got their wish. President Donald Trump declassified it. TheGOP majority of the House intelligencecommittee released it. And the public dissection of thefour-page, GOP-authored document beganFriday. Here areafewkey takeaways:
What’s the gist? The memo makesa series of allegations of misconduct on the part of the FBI andthe Justice Department in obtaining awarrant JOHN J. KIM/CHICAGOTRIBUNE PHOTOS under the Foreign IntelligenceSurveil- Derric Eisenmann holds up apitcher of waterfromafaucet in his home near Mahomettoshowits carbonated, whitecharacteristics. lance Act, or FISA, to monitor former Trump campaign foreign policyadviser Carter Page. Specifically,ittakes aim at the FBI’s use of informationfromaformer British Pollution-related penalties spy, Christopher Steele,who compiled a collectionofmemos containingseveral allegations of tiesbetween Trump,his associates andRussia. The memo says the FBI and the takeadiveunder Rauner Justice Department didn’ttellthe FISA up his four-year term in 2002. Turn to Memo, Page 31 Environmental-law One of themain reasonsenforcement is enforcement shows on thedeclinestatewide is the Illinois Environmental ProtectionAgency hascut After memo’s publication, major drop since 2015 back sharply on using its mostpowerful Trump claims vindication tool: referring cases to the state attorney By Michael Hawthorne general’soffice for civilorcriminalprose- The documentcontends the FBI abused Chicago Tribune cution. its surveillance powers,but it also in- During Rauner’s firstyear as governor, cludes revelations that may complicate Well beforethe Trump administration the EPAreferred73casestothe attorney efforts to undermine Robert Mueller’s beganshiftingresponsibility for enforcing general —byfar the lowest numbersince inquiry. Nation &World,Page27 environmental laws to the states, Illinois 1991. The annual averageduring his tenure already had sloweddownthe policing of Anni Eisenmann usesbottled waterto is 80. air andwaterpollution underGov.Bruce brush her teeth. The Eisenmanns drank By contrast, theEPA sent 198referrals a Rauner. contaminated waterfor months before year on average duringBlagojevich’s first ATribune analysis of enforcement data theylearned about what had happened. three years in office and 144during the shows that since the Republican business- same time period under Quinn, the Building boom brings man took officein2015,penaltiessought Rauner’s enforcement recordduring Tribune analysis found. from Illinois pollutershavedropped to the pastthree years also pales in compari- “I have been dismayedbythe sudden funds to struggling areas $6.1 million —abouttwo-thirds lessthan son to thefinalyear in office of the state’s dropoff in thenumber of IEPAreferralsto Program that takes fees from downtown the inflation-adjusted amount demanded lastRepublican governor, GeorgeRyan. my office,”Attorney General Lisa Madigan developmentsand setsthem asidefor during thefirstthree years under Rauner’s Adjusted forinflation, the penalties sought said in astatement.“The failure to strugglingneighborhoods couldsee $50 twopredecessors, DemocratsPat Quinn sinceRauner took officeare less than half million this year. Chicagoland, Page 4 and RodBlagojevich. the amount demanded as Ryanwrapped Turn to Pollution, Page 11
SurgeinChicago ride sharing stirs worries about its impact Congestion and public transit Lyft, whileconvenient, maybeincreasing congestion on Chicagostreetswhilecutting effects can be tricky to gauge into publictransituse. “Uber and Lyft have not deliveredwhat By MaryWisniewski they said they would —fewer cars, less Chicago Tribune traffic andmoremobility,” said RonBurke, executivedirectorofthe ActiveTransporta- The ride-sharing business is surgingin tion Alliance,which advocates for pedestri- Chicago,withthe number of registered ans,bicyclists andtransituse.“They’re vehiclesusedfor companies likeUber and convenient and people likethem, but it Lyft quadrupling overathree-year stretch, appears that they’re creating morecars and according to figuresprovidedbythe city via moretrafficinthe downtown area if not apublicrecordsrequestfromthe Tribune. elsewhere. That’s notasustainable trajec- The growth in ride sharing has raised tory.” concerns among both transportation ex- The numberofvehicles that provide four JOHN J. KIM/CHICAGOTRIBUNE perts and professional drivers that the The number of vehicles registeredwiththe cityfor ride sharing was117,557 in December. services offered by companies likeUber and Turn to Ride-sharing, Page 12
Chicago Weather Center:Complete $3.99city and suburbs,$4.99 elsewhere High Low TomSkilling’s forecast 25 2 forecastinNation&World, Page 41 170th year No.35©Chicago Tribune B Chicago Tribune | Section 1 | Sunday, February4,2018 11
JOHN J. KIM/CHICAGO TRIBUNE PHOTOS Adaline Eisenmann, 10, and mother Jodi stand in a bathroom in their home near Mahomet. The aquifer that provides water to the family’s home has been contaminated by natural gas. Pollution-related penalties decline Pollution, from Page 1 from a Peoples Gas storage facility has seeped into an “I have been thoroughly investigate and aquifer that provides drink- dismayed by the refer violations of the laws ing water to 850,000 people has dangerous conse- across a wide swath of sudden dropoff quences for people’s health central Illinois. and the environment.” In December 2016, in the number For decades, slapping shortly after the company polluters with financial alerted the EPA and other of IEPA referrals penalties has been a way to regulatory agencies about a deter others from dumping leak from one of its gas to my office.” toxic waste in environmen- wells, people living nearby —State Attorney General tally sensitive areas, spilling began reporting milky bub- Lisa Madigan, in a noxious chemicals into wa- bles in well water sputter- statement ter supplies or churning too ing from their faucets — a muchlung-damagingpollu- sign of natural gas contam- tion into the air. ination. Even though some types Several homeowners in a scathing letter to the EPA of pollution have declined rural area north of Ma- and DNR directors com- as regulations and lawsuits homet said they were able plaining there had been “no forced power plants and to light their tap water on independent or thorough factories to clean up, new fire. scientific study … to deter- threats have sprung up in Despite the obvious mine the extent of the leak, recent years, and scientists Calves graze on the Eisenmanns’ land in Champaign County. Natural gas from a storage threat to the facility’s neigh- where it stops and who is have discovered that dirty facility in the area seeped into an aquifer that supplies drinking water to 850,000 people. bors and evidence suggesti- impacted.” air and water are far more ng natural gas might have EPA inspectors later dangerous than previously spread farther into the Ma- went door to door in the thought. homet Aquifer, state offi- area and tested water from New industries, includ- cials did not refer the case to at least 40 homes. The ing confined livestock oper- the attorney general’s office agency declined to release ations and businesses re- until October 2017. results from what it has lated to natural gas fracking, The referral came from found so far, and has not have added to an already- the Illinois Department of disclosed any plans for a busy workload for inspec- Natural Resources, the more extensive study of the tors. agency that regulates oil aquifer. Illinois continues to rank and gas operations, rather The Illinois EPA finally among the top 10 states for than the Illinois EPA, referred its own case the amount of industrial air whose mission includes against Peoples Gas to the and water pollution re- protecting the state’s attorney general Jan. 5, leased into the environment groundwater. more than a year after the every year, according to Madigan filed suit nine company reported the leak. federal records. Federal days later, securing a court The drop in state en- data also show that Illinois- order that required Peoples forcement under Rauner ans still face some of the Gas to provide bottled wa- comes amid a concerted highest risks in the nation ter to residents and take attack on environmental for cancer, lung disease and more aggressive action to programs by the Republi- other health problems determine the extent of the can-controlled Congress linked to toxic chemicals contamination. and the Trump adminis- from industry smokestacks. Derric and Jodi Eisen- tration, which is shifting “To quote Abe Lincoln, A leak in this Peoples Gas-run well tainted the water supply. State officials didn’t refer the mann said their family authority to the states while law without enforcement is case to the attorney general’s office until about 10 months after being notified of the leak. drank contaminated water pushing to slash federal just good advice,” said Eric for more than three months support for state environ- Schaeffer, a former chief of alties on Quinn, Rauner’s before they learned what mental agencies. enforcement at the U.S. EPA immediate predecessor, Illinois Environmental had happened. Federal enforcement ac- who nowruns thenonprofit noting in an email that it When they described the tions nationwide have de- Environmental Integrity takes two years on average Protection Agency enforcement situation to their pediat- clined significantly since Project. to resolve cases sent to the rician, he urged them to Scott Pruitt took over as “Penalties matter be- attorney general. REFERRALS TO STATE’S ATTORNEY GENERAL stop bathing their 2-year- EPA administrator, the En- cause they cost violators The Tribune analysis 300 Jan. 12, 2015: old daughter at their newly vironmental Integrity Proj- money, and that’s an incen- found no significant drop- built farmhouse outside ect and others have found. 250 Bruce Rauner sworn in tive for other companies to off in referrals during 210 as Illinois governor. Mahomet, prompting them Veteran staff at the U.S. stay in compliance,” Schaef- Quinn’s final years as gover- 200 to shuttle her and their two EPA’s Chicago office said it fer said. “States and the EPA nor. In addition, Rauner’s older children to friends’ has become more difficult 150 should work to make rules EPA director, Alec Messina, 89 houses to shower with to file cases under Pruitt, as clear as possible, reduce didn’t mention Quinn when 100 clean water. who as Oklahoma attorney excess paperwork and en- he acknowledged the steep 50 “At that point I was in general repeatedly chal- courage voluntary compli- decline in enforcement re- sheer panic,” Jodi Eisen- lenged federal clean air and ance. But those efforts don’t ferrals during an October mann said. “People say to water regulations. 2002 ’05 ’10 ’15 ’17 yield as much if nobody forum at the Thompson us, ‘Why don’t guys just go Pruitt’s new pick to lead believes violators will be Center. PENALTIES SOUGHT BY IEPA In millions of dollars someplace else?’ the agency’s Chicago out- sanctioned.” “Anybody who hears that “We can’t leave, because post, Cathy Stepp, is a for- Unlike the U.S. EPA, the automatically presumes the $15 By governor, in first three years of term nobody’s going to buy our mer Wisconsin state official state environmental agency worst, right?” said Messina, Blagojevich total: Quinn total: Rauner total: house.” who rolled back enforce- $12 is prohibited from penaliz- who took over as the agen- $17.2 million $17.6 million $6.1 million Peoples Gas installed a ment of anti-pollution laws ing polluters on its own. cy’s director in July 2016, device that reduced the while serving in the admin- The system created by state replacing a career EPA $9 amount of hazardous istration of Republican Gov. lawmakers requires the Illi- staffer kept on from the $6 chemicals in the Eisen- Scott Walker. nois EPA to investigate Quinn administration. manns’ tap water. But Matt Howard Learner, presi- threats to air and water “Maybe it’s a new adminis- $3 Duco, one of the family’s dent of the Chicago-based quality and attempt to nego- tration. Maybe it’s a lack of Yearly totals adjusted to 2017 dollars lawyers, said EPA testing Environmental Law and tiate informally with com- focus on some controversial 2002 ’05 ’10 ’15 ’17 found the water was still Policy Center, said cutbacks panies unless there is an issue.” unsafe to drink. at the federal and state level imminent threat to public Other possible factors, he SOURCE: Illinois Environmental Protection Agency CHICAGO TRIBUNE It took pressure from a threaten to erase hard- health. said, include a shrinking local politician to prompt fought victories that led to If a deal can’t be bro- workforce at the agency and he said. “It doesn’t change Under Messina’swatch, the EPA to investigate the cleaner air and water. kered, the agency is di- arenewed focus on working just because the person at the number of EPA enforce- gas leak. A few days before “If you don’t have en- rected by law to refer the with small- and medium- the top changed.” ment referrals ticked up to Madigan filed her lawsuit, a forcement, the good guys matter to the attorney gen- sized companies to ensure Rauner initially hired 79 in 2016 and 89 last year. top agency official asked for who follow the law are put eral, who then can file a compliance without taking Messina to oversee environ- More than a dozen of the abriefing from the DNR, at a competitive disadvan- complaint in civil or crimi- legal action. ment and energy policy as referrals last year were for saying Messina was getting tage,” Learner said. “It nal court seeking penalties Asked during a recent top lieutenant in the gover- missed paperwork dead- “significant inquiry” about sends a message to pollut- and corrective actions. interview to clarify his re- nor’s office. Before joining lines, records show. the water contamination ing industries that the cop Rauner’s office did not marks, Messina said he has the administration, Messina One case that highlights from state Sen. Chapin on the beat is looking the respond to multiple re- repeatedly urged the agen- led a trade group that lob- the state’s sluggish enforce- Rose, a Mahomet Republi- other way.” quests for comment. An cy’s staff to crack down on bied on behalf of industries ment system is unfolding in can who represents the Illinois EPA spokeswoman polluters. “Enforcement is regulated by the agency he downstate Champaign area. [email protected] blamed the decline in pen- still critical to what we do,” now leads. County, where natural gas Rose also wrote a Twitter @scribeguy