Rock River Valley

Long Range Federal Transportation Bill Incorporates Funding across the United States, Including Wisconsin and Northern Illinois.

The new Federal Transportation Act, named SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act – a Legacy for Users), is a five-year bill that has accorded millions of dollars to States to be used for appropriation in areas of Transportation, with several plans for Wisconsin and the Northern Illinois regions. SAFETEA-LU’s focus is directed at areas needing improvement in surface transportation; congestion mitigation and air quality; highway safety improvement; recreational trails; scenic byways; safe routes to school; transportation, community, and system preservation; bicycle and pedestrian safety; and high priority projects.

With the passage of the new bill, it will provide the states with more funding, and Illinois with 33 percent more than the previous transportation bill. Illinois Representative Don Manzullo and other colleagues worked together to secure $51.6 million in funds through this bill, for nine major transportation projects in Northern Illinois.

Government and non-government agencies and organizations that want to be involved in how the funding is spent are advised to contact their local and state transportation departments and planning agencies. Click here for more information regarding the major projects that will receive funding.

Rock River Valley Partners 515 N. Court Street Rockford, Illinois 61103 phone 815-987-8118
Recipients Name	September 2005
New EPA Measurements Make Regulatory and Fiscal Impacts The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the federal agency assigned with the responsibility of monitoring, regulating and enforcing the nation's air quality standards (i.e. ozone and particulate matter), as established by the Clean Air Act. Ozone, which is created by combining volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), is a highly reactive gas that reportedly impacts fabricated, human and natural products alike. A variety of atmospheric and chemical factors influence the presence of ozone within a specific geographic area. Traditional ozone facilitators include hot and humid temperatures, wind speeds, combustible engine exhaust, manufacturing processes, waste incinerators, energy generation, etc. Previously, ozone levels were monitored and regulated according to the EPA's one-hour standard. Since 1997, however, the EPA has worked diligently to enforce its heightened eight-hour standard of 85 parts per billion (ppb) or higher to determine whether a location is classified as an attainment (compliance) or non-attainment (non-compliance) area. After several rounds of litigation, a federal appeals court recently determined that the EPA was authorized to enforce this new standard. Per this new standard, the EPA designated new and/or reaffirmed existing non-attainment areas. For some, this designation included areas that were not only clearly known Areas of Violation (i.e. exceeding the standard), but also Areas of Influence (i.e. areas that were known contributors to upwind non-attainment areas). This issue, in particular, has implications for the Stateline because air pollution isn't bound by traditional geo-political boundaries. Click here to learn more about how the Clean Air Act will effect our region.	Did You Know? Transportation:
	Tourism: There are more than 3 dozen public golf courses in the 5 counties.
	Manufacturing: The 50 largest manufacturers in the 5-county area represent 2.6% of the manufacturers, but account for 52.3% of manufacturing employment.
	Ag-Tech: The food industry is the largest non-durable goods manufacturing industry in Wisconsin and Illinois.
	Education:
	Rock River Valley Partners Organizations: Beloit Convention & Visitors Bureau Beloit Economic Development Corp. Belvidere Area Chamber of Commerce Belvidere Main Street Center Blackhawk Hills Economic Development District Blackhawk Waterways CVB Byron Chamber of Commerce Byron Community Revitalization / Byron Economic Development Downtown Beloit Association Forward Janesville Freeport Area Chamber of Commerce Freeport Area Econ. Dev. Foundation Freeport Downtown Development Foundation Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce Greater Rochelle Economic Development Corp Greater Rockford Airport Growth Dimensions Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Northern Illinois Tourism Dev. Office Oregon Chamber of Commerce Polo Chamber of Commerce River District Rochelle Area Chamber of Commerce Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Rockford Area Economic Development Council Rockford Regional Chamber of Commerce Rockton Chamber of Commerce Roscoe Area Chamber of Commerce Stephenson County Convention & Visitors Bureau The Parks Chamber
Rock River Region Continues to Evolve its Tourism Offerings The future of the Rock River Valley’s tourism industry may be as simple as the opening like of a First Grade Reader from yesteryear: “See Jane.” Gracing the front page of Illinois’ state tourism site – www.enjoyillinois.com -- not to mention the plethora of additional media coverage the Stateline’s “Kid Rex” has received, Jane is just unique enough to put the region on the national tourism map. “I think new product is important to building tourism and making the Rock River Valley Region a destination for leisure travelers,” commented Martha Mitchell, Executive Director for Visit Beloit. “Things like Jane the Dinosaur at Burpee, The Antique Auto Attraction, The SockMonkey Exhibit at Midway Village, Rotary Gardens in Janesville, the museum at Poplar Grove Airport, Southern Wisconsin AirFest and the Beloit International Film Festival and the possible casino project all will draw travelers and attention to the area.” Not only are venues such as Jane and Burpee Museum or the Southern Wisconsin AirFest unique draws to the area, they also appeal to a large segment of the tourism market – the American family. Click here to learn more about local and national tourism expectations.
Long Range Federal Transportation Bill Incorporates Funding across the United States, Including Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. The new Federal Transportation Act, named SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act – a Legacy for Users), is a five-year bill that has accorded millions of dollars to States to be used for appropriation in areas of Transportation, with several plans for Wisconsin and the Northern Illinois regions. SAFETEA-LU’s focus is directed at areas needing improvement in surface transportation; congestion mitigation and air quality; highway safety improvement; recreational trails; scenic byways; safe routes to school; transportation, community, and system preservation; bicycle and pedestrian safety; and high priority projects. With the passage of the new bill, it will provide the states with more funding, and Illinois with 33 percent more than the previous transportation bill. Illinois Representative Don Manzullo and other colleagues worked together to secure $51.6 million in funds through this bill, for nine major transportation projects in Northern Illinois. Government and non-government agencies and organizations that want to be involved in how the funding is spent are advised to contact their local and state transportation departments and planning agencies. Click here for more information regarding the major projects that will receive funding.
Rock River Valley, 515 N. Court Street, Rockford, Illinois 61103, phone 815-987-8118.