If they are doing "projects" that have ANY environmental impact, then they have to keep it quiet. I have been to CHI-town a bunch of times. You fart, the environmentalists say that you are polluting the lake and killing some species of scuumcrawler I could care less about.
On the other hand, this sounds like "contractors scratching politic's back" for money sitiuation, all too common in Chicago. Why didnt they make Chicago out of wood the last time so it could burn down again...?