Judge dismisses Illinois River barge fleeting lawsuit without prejudice

There could be up to 106 barges on the Illinois River east of Seneca after a Grundy County judge dismissed a lawsuit against them without prejudice. Rick and Gloria Sims filed the lawsuit against Illinois and Michigan Oil, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the state because they said the barge fleeting operation would ruin the river’s beauty. Judge Sheldon Sobel ruled in 2021 that a law, called the Des Plaines and Illinois Rivers Act, said the Illinois Department of Natural Resources had no authority to permit a barge fleeting proposal east of Seneca. Nine words were inserted into a bill on January 10, approved by both chambers that day, and signed by Gov. Pritzker on February 10 repeal it. Because the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, it could be filed again in a different court.