President Barack Obama’s $3.5 trillion spending plan, which goes into effect Oct. 1, could mean sizable environmental benefits for Illinois over the next decade.

A report released Thursday by a nonprofit citizen-based advocacy group identified three major areas.

The Obama budget proposes an end to Big Oil subsidies, which would total $30 billion over the next 10 years. That would mean $1.5 billion for Illinois.

“Isn’t it about time?” asked U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). “The very notion that we would be continuing to subsidize the very source of energy that has led to so many of these [environmental] problems is just an outrage, especially as we’ve seen such high gas prices, and such profits for the oil companies.”

The report, prepared by Environment Illinois, also estimated $27.4 billion in fines from companies that exceed emissions cap pollution levels — the administration’s so-called cap-and-trade policy. This figure assumes the $646 billion total would be distributed over the 10-year period to states in proportion to population.

Schakowsky, a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce since 2003, said she expects the upcoming cap-and-trade bill to be supported in Congress, despite failing in the Senate earlier this month.

Max Muller, Environment Illinois program director, said the money could be used in any of three ways: investing in research and design; offsetting the increased cost of power for lower income or negatively affected companies; or remediation programs to fix the problem of global climate change.

Illinois’s sewage treatment plants — 90 of which exceeded clean water limits during 2005 inspections — stand to get $90.2 million for upgrades and repairs.

Environment Illinois estimates that $17.2 billion also would be available over the decade to clean up six major Illinois toxic waste sites. Obama plans to reinstate the federal ‘Superfund’ program, dormant since 1995.

“I think that in the midst of what has been such a challenging time,” said Schakowsky, “to make these kinds of fundamental changes, to steer our country in a new direction when it comes to energy … we’re going to move forward with the kind of speed that is required by the seriousness of the problem we’re confronted with.”