OPINION Editorial: Science must guide water, air quality — not politics

A report out by the Better Government Association should concern every Illinoisan who cares about the air we breathe and the water we drink.

The report says, among other things, that in Region 5 of the Environmental Protection Agency — Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio — inspections for air, water and land pollution have dropped by more than 60% in the past three years. That drop is twice as big as other regions of the U.S., which average a 30% decrease in the number of inspections.

The report by BGA reporter Brett Chase adds that there are about 150 fewer scientists, technicians and other employees in the Chicago headquarters of Region 5 than before the Trump Administration took office...