Full Text of HR0943 94th General Assembly
HR0943 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Wind power facilities provide emission-free | 3 |
| options to oil-fueled and gas-fueled power plants and promote | 4 |
| the generation of electricity as a renewable energy resource; | 5 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Wind energy is a tiny but fast-growing share of | 7 |
| U.S. energy; since Congress reinstated a key tax credit for | 8 |
| wind producers, the industry is poised for rapid expansion in | 9 |
| the next year; and
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| WHEREAS, The growth of renewable energy sources has | 11 |
| resulted in 17 states passing laws requiring that some part of | 12 |
| the total electricity used come from renewable sources such as | 13 |
| wind power; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, In August 2005, the Illinois Commerce Commission | 15 |
| adopted Governor Blagojevich's Sustainable Energy Plan as a | 16 |
| voluntary plan, under which Illinois' utilities would begin | 17 |
| acquiring 2% of their electricity from sources such as wind, | 18 |
| solar, and methane captured from landfills by the end of 2006, | 19 |
| ramping up in 1% annual increments to 8% in 2012; and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, Wind power facilities are developing rapidly in | 21 |
| Northern and Central Illinois and are planned or under | 22 |
| construction in Adams, Boone, Bureau, Carroll, LaSalle, Lee, | 23 |
| DeKalb, McLean, Pike, and Stephenson Counties; and | 24 |
| WHEREAS, Each wind turbine is approximately 213 feet high | 25 |
| with a blade diameter of up to 170 feet, and the revolving | 26 |
| blades, especially when numbers of turbines are concentrated | 27 |
| into wind farms, pose a danger to migrating birds, including | 28 |
| threatened and endangered species; and
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| WHEREAS, Scientists don't know whether wind turbines |
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| reduce overall bird populations, but are concerned that | 2 |
| turbines, added to other factors such as habitat destruction, | 3 |
| could result in the species decline; and
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| WHEREAS, In some states environmentalists have sued to | 5 |
| force turbine owners to take corrective measures because of the | 6 |
| danger to threatened and endangered species; and
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| WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the danger of wind | 8 |
| turbines to flying birds, and that corrective measures such as | 9 |
| placement of wind turbines away from the migratory routes of | 10 |
| birds can help in reducing bird mortality; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 12 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 13 |
| the Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the | 14 |
| Illinois Commerce Commission, conduct a study to assess the | 15 |
| danger of wind turbines to birds, including threatened and | 16 |
| endangered species in Illinois, and report its findings and | 17 |
| recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor no | 18 |
| later than July 1, 2007; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to the | 20 |
| Director of Natural Resources, the Chairman of the Illinois | 21 |
| Commerce Commission, and the Governor.
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