HR1076 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1076 LRB100 22051 ALS 40220 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State of Wisconsin has provided substantial economic incentives, including $3 billion in tax incentives, to Foxconn Technology Group for the purpose of establishing three new manufacturing facilities along the Wisconsin-Illinois border; and

WHEREAS, Residents on both sides of the border will undoubtedly benefit from the creation of new jobs; Wisconsin and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have waived critical environmental and public health reviews to fast track the project; and

WHEREAS, Governor Walker and the Wisconsin State Assembly have approved fast-tracking environmental permits, so that construction on the three facilities may begin as soon as reasonably possible; and

WHEREAS, Foxconn has been allowed to fill 26 acres of wetlands in Wisconsin with dredged materials without an environmental impact study or input from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and

WHEREAS, The wetlands affected in and around Racine County, Wisconsin sit in the Des Plaines River watershed, which extends into Illinois and is critical for clean water, flood water storage, and the ecological integrity of the watershed; and

WHEREAS, Foxconn is seeking to use approximately seven million gallons of water per day from Lake Michigan, a shared and primary source of drinking water for millions of people throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan; and

WHEREAS, The Great Lakes Compact clearing states that water from Lake Michigan be used for a "Group of largely residential customers"; and

WHEREAS, Foxconn has submitted a request for an air pollution permit that would allow the three manufacturing facilities the ability to emit high amounts of particulate, including nitrous oxide and volatile organize material that could lead to ozone damage; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Attorney General is seeking to challenge the U.S. EPA's ruling that exempts much of southeast Wisconsin from stricter ozone regulations; and

WHEREAS, The filling of wetlands, use of residentially-protected water, and exposure to particulate all pose serious unanswered public health and safety questions for residents in Lake County and northern Illinois that must be reviewed; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we caution Wisconsin to not hastily approve permits for Foxconn Technology Group to use seven million gallons of water per day from Lake Michigan, as it will directly affect Illinoisans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be sent to Governor Scott Walker and members of the Wisconsin State Assembly, so that they may see Illinois has a shared interest in the affects these facilities will have on the environment and the health of residents along the Illinois-Wisconsin border.