The Illinois Department of Transportation has overridden state endangered species protections in 11 cases over the past year, according to public records. This has sparked a dispute with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which ended a long-standing agreement with the transportation agency. Internal documents reveal tensions over permits for projects affecting fish like the bigeye shiner.
Public records show that the Illinois Department of Transportation, or IDOT, sidestepped recommendations from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, or IDNR, to obtain incidental take authorizations in 11 instances last year. These permits are required to minimize harm to state-listed species during road and bridge projects. IDNR had urged surveys for species like the endangered bigeye shiner in Union County, but IDOT declined, with one official stating that 'fish swim away.'