Illinois Statutes Chapter 20. Executive Branch § 863/5. Legislative statement

§ 5. Legislative statement. Between the years of 1991 and 2002, the Department of Natural Resources expended $408,085 to acquire 281.502 acres of real property, in the counties of Coles, Douglas and Moultrie, with the intention of constructing a recreational trail for use by the general public. The intended recreational trail was not constructed because the Department of Natural Resources was not able to acquire a contiguous linear parcel of real property sufficient to construct an uninterrupted recreational trail.

Between the years of 1995 and 2011, the Department of Natural Resources transferred 47.777 acres of real property to several private and public entities. These transfers were completed in accordance with Public Acts 88-369, 89-29, 89-223, 90-760, 91-824, and 96-316.

Between 1991 and 2013, the Department of Natural Resources expended $207,425.89 in legal defense expenses associated with the process of acquiring and holding title to the real property constituting the planned Prairie Wind Trail. (See Hemingway v. American Premium Underwriters, Inc., 97-MR-5, Sixth Circuit, Douglas County, Illinois and Ag Farms, Inc. v. American Premium Underwriters, Inc., 2002-MR-6, Sixth Circuit, Moultrie County, Illinois.)

The General Assembly finds that transferring the real property known as the Prairie Wind Trail to adjacent owners is a public benefit to avoid further expenditure of legal defense expenses.