Yesterday, we reported that Rep. Will Davis revived his proposal to add tire burning to the state's definition of renewable energy. Senate Bill 380, amended to include the tire burning language, passed out of the House by a vote of 61 to 45 and now goes on to the Senate for consideration. A Senate Energy Committee hearing on the bill is scheduled for this afternoon at 4:45 p.m.

Please call your State Senator now to ask him/her to vote "NO" on Senate Bill 380. Tell your senator that, if this bill passes, renewable energy credits intended for clean energy such as wind and solar will instead go to tire-burning facilities. Tire burning releases highly toxic dioxins and other pollutants into the atmosphere.

To look up your State Senator’s contact information, click here.

UPDATE: SB 380 was defeated on the floor of the Senate by a vote of 017-026-006. However, the bill's chief sponsor in the Senate, Mike Jacobs, may try to line up support for another vote later this week. Call your Senator to ask him/her to vote "No" if SB 380 is called again for another floor vote.

UPDATE 2: SB 380 was defeated on the floor of the Senate a second time by a vote of Motion to Concur Lost 020-027-004.

Mercury Thermostat Collection to Increase in Illinois

On Friday, the House passed the Mercury Thermostat Collection Act (SB 3346). This caps our three-year effort to get both houses of the General Assembly to pass legislation that will improve the collection of mercury-containing thermostats used to activate heating and cooling equipment. The bill includes a ban on the disposal of the thermostats as well.

This year, the Illinois Environmental Council and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency joined with the Environmental Law & Policy Center and Sen. Heather Steans, the bill’s chief sponsor, to overcome the thermostat manufacturers’ opposition to previous legislation. The Mercury Policy Project provided invaluable support as well.

The breakthrough in the latest round of negotiations with the manufacturers came when their representatives agreed for the first time to meet annual collection goals and to become subject to new legal requirements if those goals are not met. For example, the Illinois EPA may require the manufacturers to start offering a $5 for each thermostat turned in as a way to increase collections.

Last year, the manufacturers collected 4,149 mercury thermostats under a voluntary program. This bill sets the collection goal for 2012 through 2014 at 15,000 thermostats for each year. The Illinois EPA may set higher collection goals for years after 2014.

Illinois has become a national leader in setting policy to reduce exposure to mercury. Illinois enacted a ban on the sale and manufacture of mercury fever thermometers and novelty items in 2003. A ban on most mercury-added switches and relays in consumer products and a prohibition on mercury use in classrooms were passed the following year. Those laws were followed by a ban on the use of mercury as a preservative in pediatric vaccines (2005) and new requirements for the recovery of mercury-containing auto switches (2006). Illinois banned the sale and distribution of mercury-containing measuring devices and thermostats in 2007. Last week, the General Assembly passed a ban on mercury-containing weights used to balance vehicle wheels.

Tire Burning Bill Returns

In March, we told you about a bill that would have amended the Illinois Power Authority Act (20 ILCS 3855/1-10) to included tire burning in the definition of “renewable energy resource” and its associated “renewable energy credit.” That bill was stopped in the House. Unfortunately, Rep. Will Davis has now reintroduced that bill’s language by attaching it to another bill pending in the House – Senate Bill 380.

Please call your legislators to tell them that, if this bill passes, renewable energy credits will be taken away from wind and solar and other clean energy projects in Illinois.  It will encourage the construction of additional tire-burning facilities. Tire burning releases highly toxic dioxins as well as sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Community Advocates Fight Plan for “Incinerator In Disguise”

Rep. Monique Davis introduced a bill this year for the construction of plant that would use an experimental technology called plasma arc gasification (HB 4664). Waste materials would be subjected to extremely high temperatures and then the resulting gases would be burned to generate electricity. The bill, as introduced, defined “waste” to include “toxic waste” and “all other materials by whatever name called that are in need of disposal.”

To overcome the public’s opposition to incineration plants, companies promoting the plasma arc process often claim that it is a “green” alternative. Environmental advocates have called these conversion plants “incinerators in disguise” because the burning of waste gases produced through plasma arc gasification emits dioxins and other pollutants into the air. In addition, the experimental plasma arc gasification process is inefficient and very costly.

The project has been opposed by community advocates in Blue Island and by their state representative, Robert Rita. The bill died in committee in March but, now, the bill’s language is being reintroduced by Rep. Davis as an amendment to another bill pending in the House – Senate Bill 588. A hearing on the bill before the House Electric Generation & Commerce Committee is scheduled for May 4^th, at 9:00a.m.

Hearing on Bisphenol-A Rescheduled

The Senate Environment Subcommittee on Children’s Environmental Health Issues will consider children’s exposure to toxic bisphenol-A (BPA) at a hearing scheduled for May 3rd at 6:00p.m. in Springfield. Dr. Gail Prins, a researcher from the University of Illinois at Chicago, is expected to testify. The BPA-Free Kids Act (SB 3750) is still pending.

Two issues that were at the top of top of our priority list at the beginning of the year are scheduled for consideration in the General Assembly this week. Read further for more information on protecting our children from toxics and creating clean energy jobs in Illinois. Then call your legislator to voice your support for these critical initiatives.

Partial Ban on Toxic Bisphenol-A Still Pending in the State Senate

Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is a hormone-disrupting chemical that is used in most food can linings and hard clear plastic containers, including baby bottles. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control  and Prevention reports that over 90% of people have BPA in their bodies. Children have the highest exposure and they are at the greatest risk for hormone disruption.

Routine exposure to BPA at very low doses has been linked to asthma, obesity, diabetes, thyroid disease, and breast and prostate cancers. High BPA levels have been linked to sexual problems in men.

The BPA-Free Kids Act (SB 3750), sponsored by Sen. Dan Kotowski, will reduce children's exposure to BPA by prohibiting the sale of baby food and infant formula in containers that contain BPA by 2015. This bill has public support and several favorable newspaper editorials behind it. Still, it has been subjected to a number of delays in Springfield.

Another hearing on the use of BPA is scheduled for Thursday (Earth Day) at 8:30 a.m. in the Senate's Subcommittee on Children's Environmental Health Issues. 

Solar Bills To Create Thousands of Clean Energy Jobs in Illinois

While wind power has seen tremendous growth recently, Illinois has been slow in adopting solar power as an energy solution. At the start of 2010, Illinois had only 3.3 MW of online installed solar power capacity – less than 27 different cities across California alone. That’s not for lack of potential.

Illinois can become a regional leader in solar power and be well-positioned for the manufacturing and installation jobs that come along with it. Illinois' Renewable Energy Standard, which became law in 2007, has already created thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars of economic development throughout the state. 

Passing HB 6202 to create a task force to review the existing net metering law will be another step toward creating more renewable energy jobs. Net metering allows Illinois residents who install renewable energy systems to sell the power they don’t use back to the electric grid. The bill passed the House last month.

Sen. Michael Noland is the chief sponsor of HB 6202 in the Senate. He is carrying another important renewable energy bill as well. The Homeowners' Solar Rights Act (HB 5429) will prevent condo and homeowner associations from imposing unreasonable restrictions to keep families from putting solar panels on their homes.

SB 2505, introduced by Sen. Michael Frerichs and passed last week by the Senate, provides public financing for businesses and homeowners who want to make energy efficiency or renewable energy improvements to their property. Rep. Lou Lang will now carry the bill in the House.

Increasing our reliance on renewable energy will create thousands of Illinois jobs if the facilities generating that energy are located here. That's why lawmakers should pass a bill that extends the in-state renewable energy preference.

The General Assembly's third reading deadlines have passed. Bills that were not called for a vote on the floor before the deadline are no longer viable. Extensions were granted in some cases, giving sponsors more time to gather support for their bills.

So far in this legislative session, environmental advocates have experienced a lot of ups and downs. We stopped some bad bills from becoming law and we still have a lot of work to do on others. To advance our legislative agenda, we need your help!

Legislators are now on a two-week break from the Capitol. This is a good time to make a call or pay a visit to your legislator's district office to share your position on the bills you care about most.

Tire Burning Bill Stopped in the House

Thanks to those of you who asked your legislators to vote “No” on House Bill 1470. The bill’s sponsor realized last week that he did not have enough votes to pass the bill on the floor.

The bill would have expanded the definition of “renewable energy” in the Illinois Power Agency Act (20 ILCS 3855/1-10) to include tire burning. The legislation was backed by Geneva LLC, owner of a tire burning plant in Ford Heights, Illinois. The company wanted the benefit of renewable energy credits.

Renewable energy credits are part of a regulatory framework designed to increase the percentage of our electricity that comes from non-polluting natural resources such as the sun, wind, biomass (fibrous vegetation), and the earth’s thermal heat. Tire burning releases highly toxic dioxins as well as sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Rep. David Miller introduced language similar to HB 1470 last year. Hopefully, we will not see another tire burning bill next year.

Floodplain Bill Could Put Seniors at Greater Risk in a Disaster

Senate Bill 2556 would change the definition of the 100-year floodplain so that flood-prone areas protected by federal levees and located in flood prevention districts would no longer be included. The bill overrides existing law, which is based on lessons learned after levee failures during the “Great Mississippi Flood of 1993” and in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

SB 2556 received a third reading deadline extension to allow for further discussions between the bill’s sponsor and opponents.

Key legislators are backing away from the STAR Bond legislation that would subsidize the development of the 100-year floodplain (SB 2093 & HB 2376). Still, another bill (SB 2556) could make it easier to locate landfills and nursing homes there.

SB 2556 would change the definition of the 100-year floodplain so that flood-prone areas protected by federal levees and located in flood prevention districts would no longer be included. The bill overrides existing law, which is based on lessons learned after levee failures during the “Great Mississippi Flood of 1993” and in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

New Nursing Homes and Landfills Should Not Be Located in Disaster-Prone Areas

Floodplain areas behind federal levees are still at risk of major flooding. Destruction of a landfill, hazardous waste storage facility, or livestock waste lagoon in a flood would make a bad situation even worse. New fire stations, hospitals, and nursing homes should be located outside of flood-prone areas so that our most vulnerable citizens will not be left helpless in a disaster.

The bill’s main supporters are special interests. Waste Management has a pending application for a permit to develop a new landfill in the 100-year floodplain adjacent to Horseshoe Lake in Madison County.

Illinois Home and Business Owners Could Be Left Unprotected in a Disaster

SB 2556 creates a conflict with federal policy that could jeopardize eligibility for flood insurance provided through the National Flood Insurance Program. Unlike current State regulations, SB 2556 does not reference the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps. FEMA maps identify a community’s flood risk based on analyses of rainfall and topographic surveys, river flow, and other relevant factors.

The 100-Year Floodplain Must Be Protected

Floodplains act as buffers, reducing the number, impact, and severity of floods. Floodplains frequently contain large tracts of wetlands and provide critical wildlife habitat. Wetlands are important in the process of storing and filtering floodwater, and recharging aquifers. The preservation of floodplains helps to control runoff and minimize nonpoint source water pollution.

SB 2556 is opposed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Department of Insurance, as well as the Illinois Association for Floodplain Management, the Illinois Environmental Council, Sierra Club, Prairie Rivers Network, The Nature Conservancy and other environmental groups. Sen. William R. Haine is the bill’s chief sponsor.

For more information, please contact: Jack Darin, Sierra Club, (312)251-1680, jack.darin@sierraclub.org, or Charles Jackson, Illinois Environmental Council, (312) 970-0432, cjackson@ilenviro.org.

Early last month, the Illinois Environmental Council presented a legislative agenda that reflects our community’s core concerns. Since then, we have been working with our allies in the Illinois General Assembly to advance those priorities. In addition, we've been tracking more than 100 bills that could affect our environment.

Thanks to all of you who helped make make our presence felt in the Capitol on March 10th. Our Environmental Lobby Day was a huge success! More than 100 environmental advocates from across the state of Illinois converged on Springfield. They encouraged their legislators to support a package of bills that will create clean energy jobs, protect Illinois’ natural heritage, and reduce our exposure to toxic chemicals. Of course, there is still a lot of work to do.

The action picked up in the House and Senate in the last two weeks as deadlines for moving substantive bills out of committee approached. Now, everyone should be on notice about bills that are seriously in play.

Bills that received extensions will be considered this week. The Senate's third reading deadline is Friday. Also, there are still a few bad bills that are being forced through the process by special interests. Here is a list of the bills that we are following most closely.

Please feel free to share your insights or opinions about any of the bills we are tracking. Also, join IEC if you haven't already. Then you can be sure that you will receive in your inbox future recaps of legislative activities and previews of upcoming developments. Click the "Support Us" button at the top of the page.

Thank you for your interest and support.

More than 120 environmental advocates from across the state of Illinois are in Springfield to encourage their legislators to pass critical environmental legislation currently moving through the legislature.

Lobby Day 2010 is sponsored by a partnership of: Illinois Environmental Council, Faith in Place, Environment Illinois, Sierra Club, and Protestants for the Common Good.

The following bills are our priorities for the day.

RENEW Illinois – Energy Package
Rebuild Our Economy With New Energy Work
(SB 3426/HB 6202, SB 3686/HB 6013, SB 2505, & HB 5429)
The components of RENEW are an important step in Illinois’ transition to a clean energy economy. Establishing the rights of multi-unit homeowners to participate in clean energy generation, raising caps on the amount of power individuals can produce, and establishing interim benchmarks for solar procurement will spur greater development and job creation within the industry. Also, the increased use of renewable energy sources can greatly reduce Illinois’ contribution to climate change.
-    SB 3426-Bond/ HB 6202-Burns: Raises the cap on the net metering program to allow more people access to the benefits of renewable energy generation.
-    SB 3686-Harmon / HB 6013-Graham: Provides interim benchmarks for solar production so the targets for the Renewable Portfolio Standard will be met by 2015.
-    SB 2505-Frerichs: Allows homeowners to access low interest loans through a voluntary tax assessment.
-    HB 5429-Feigenholtz: Ensures a homeowner’s right to install renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, on their property.

Bisphenol-A Free Kids Act
(HB 6088 & SB 3750)
-    Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a toxic chemical linked to reproductive problems, learning disabilities, hormone disruption, and cancer.
-    BPA is used in plastic food containers and most cans of food sold in the U.S.
-    BPA leaches from these products, exposing even the youngest children, whom are the most vulnerable and most often exposed to BPA.
-    Protects Illinois children’s health from BPA by eliminating it from baby food and infant formula cans, baby bottles, sippy cups, sports water bottles, and other reusable food containers.

STAR Bonds Financing
SB 2093 (HFA2) & HB 2376 (SFA1)
-    STAR Bonds Financing gives money to private developers at Illinois Taxpayers expense to develop in the 100-year floodplain.
-    Each STAR bond project could cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue.
-    Floodplains should remain undeveloped.
-    Such projects would be unwise anytime, but especially now when the state already has an enormous deficit and faces severe budget cuts.
-    Neither bill is called the STAR Bonds Financing.  SB2093 amends the Mental Health Development Disabilities Act and HB2376 amends the State Facility Closure Act.

Nuclear Moratorium
(SB 3388 & HB 4875)
-    Lifts the moratorium on building new nuclear power plants in Illinois.
-    Currently there is a ban in Illinois on new plant construction until a safe and effective means for the disposal of high level nuclear waste has been identified and approved. SB 3388 & HB 4875 would lift that ban.

What:  The Illinois Environmental Council releases its environmental policy priorities for the 2010 legislative session.

When:   12 p.m., Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Where:  Blue Room, Statehouse, Springfield

Who:  The Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) serves as the environmental community’s eyes, ears and voice in Springfield, promoting sound environmental laws and policies. IEC and its affiliates (including the Sierra Club, Environment Illinois, Openlands Project, Environmental Law & Policy Center) will share recommendations on vital environmental and economic issues. State legislators sponsoring environmental legislation will be in attendance as well.

Why:  Several recommendations in IEC’s 2009 environmental policy briefing book became state law last year. Now Illinois’ environmental advocates are poised to build on that successful legislative effort with a new blueprint to create jobs and economic opportunities in clean energy and energy efficiency, protect open spaces, and ensure a more healthful environment for Illinois residents. By following IEC’s 2010 blueprint, Illinois can emerge from this recession as a national and regional leader in the new green economy, conservation, and environmental health.

Thank you for your interest and support!