Marion…. State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton) today announced that he has been appointed by House Republican Leader Jim Durkin to the Illinois Forestry Development Council and the Flue Gas Desulfurization Task Force.The Illinois Forestry Council was created from the Illinois Forestry Development Act in 1983. The council’s goal is to identify and evaluate the social, economic, scientific and educational value of Illinois’s forest lands, and product industries.
“I am very excited to have been selected for the Illinois Forestry Council,” Severin said. “It is a great fit for me because forests and protected lands are deeply rooted in the identity of Southern Illinois. I look forward to helping our state better understand its forests and find ways to better protect them.”
Rep. Severin was also appointed to the Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) Task Force. The task force was created to increase the amount Illinois coal mined and burned in the state, while continuing to comply with federal regulations.“The FGD Task Force is another group I am looking forward to being a part of,” Severin said. “Illinois has an abundance of coal and the task force will make sure that we are maximizing that resource. On top of that, the task force will work with new stacks to comply with federal standards and regulations.”