Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – An environmental lobby day in the Capitol Wednesday covered the waterfront, pun intended, from water and wetlands protection to a Styrofoam ban.

“We can all agree that safe, clean drinking water, flood protection, and other benefits are not negotiable,” said State Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin). “They’re a necessary need for all of us.” Moeller is sponsoring the Illinois Wetlands Act.

State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) considers herself a foe of foam. “Tiny pieces of polystyrene microplastics have been found in our bodies, including in our brain, blood, lungs, kidneys, and reproductive systems,” she said in support of her Polystyrene Foam Foodware Ban.

Also covered — one day after Sangamon County voted for a data center — was the POWER Act, which the sponsor, House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) says would guard consumers, water, and energy from the impact of such centers.