Lemont schedules Nov. 20 workshop with Citgo and Illinois EPA after resident air-quality concerns

Mayor Agofsky told the board that, amid social-media discussion and resident concern, the village has spoken with Citgo and the Illinois EPA and plans to review Citgo’s publicly posted monitoring data at an LEAC meeting on Nov. 20.

“Everything we’ve heard from the Illinois EPA as well as Citgo is they are totally in compliance with federal standards,” Mayor Agofsky said, adding the village wants to bring the data into a public forum so residents can see what the company reports and ask targeted questions.

Several residents asked for more real-time monitoring and earlier notification of potential emissions. Resident Laura Bridal warned against relying on retrospective detection — calling it a “too late device” — and urged the village to pursue more timely monitoring and transparency. “They want some accountability before that,” Bridal said.

Village staff said the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the state EPA are the agencies responsible for emergency notification and environmental regulation; staff also said the village will encourage residents to sign up for the local notification system and is exploring supplemental monitoring but does not yet have additional local monitoring resources.

Why it matters: Residents who live near industrial corridors raised health and safety concerns; the Nov. 20 review aims to let regulators, the company and the community discuss data and monitoring options in public.

What’s next: The village plans to review Citgo’s publicly posted data at the Nov. 20 LEAC meeting and to explore scheduling further workshops with Citgo and IEPA representatives to answer residents’ questions.