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1 | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE RESOLUTION 620
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2 | AMENDMENT NO. ___. Amend House Resolution 620, AS AMENDED, | ||||||
3 | by replacing the entire text of the resolution with the | ||||||
4 | following:
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5 | "HOUSE RESOLUTION
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6 | WHEREAS, The British Petroleum oil refinery in Whiting, | ||||||
7 | Indiana is planning an expansion that would increase the | ||||||
8 | refinery's discharges into Lake Michigan significantly, | ||||||
9 | including 54% more ammonia (for a total discharge of 1,584 | ||||||
10 | pounds of ammonia per day) and 35% more total suspended solids | ||||||
11 | (for a total discharge of 4,925 pounds of total suspended | ||||||
12 | solids per day) on a daily basis, running contrary to years of | ||||||
13 | efforts to clean up the Great Lakes; and
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14 | WHEREAS, The beaches of Lake Michigan provide a
significant | ||||||
15 | source of recreation, tourism, and drinking water
for the State | ||||||
16 | of Illinois and other states bordering the Lake;
and |
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1 | WHEREAS, Last year, 81% of Illinois beaches were declared
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2 | unsafe due to algae and other pollution problems; and | ||||||
3 | WHEREAS, Ammonia promotes algae blooms that can kill fish | ||||||
4 | in the Lake; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The increased discharge into the Lake runs counter | ||||||
6 | to a provision of the federal Clean Water Act that prohibits | ||||||
7 | any downgrade in water quality near a pollution source, such as | ||||||
8 | the British Petroleum refinery; and | ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, Indiana State regulators are allowing British | ||||||
10 | Petroleum to install equipment that mixes its toxic waste with | ||||||
11 | clean lake water about 200 feet offshore, and actively diluting | ||||||
12 | pollution in Lake Michigan in this way is banned under Indiana | ||||||
13 | law; and | ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, Environmental regulators remain unsure about the | ||||||
15 | ecological effects of the relatively new refining process that | ||||||
16 | British Petroleum plans to use and the increased discharge into | ||||||
17 | Lake Michigan; and | ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection Agency | ||||||
19 | has not objected to the State of Indiana's decision to allow | ||||||
20 | the increased discharge by British Petroleum; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, States rely on the federal government to enforce | ||||||
2 | interstate water quality, the federal Clean Water Act has | ||||||
3 | assisted states in cleaning up polluted waters and protecting | ||||||
4 | unpolluted waters, and states need new tools in addition to the | ||||||
5 | existing Clean Water Act to help protect ground and surface | ||||||
6 | waters from out-of-state pollution sources; and | ||||||
7 | WHEREAS, The federal Clean Air Act requires states to take | ||||||
8 | certain actions when permitting new sources of air pollution | ||||||
9 | that may increase pollution in nearby states and provides | ||||||
10 | remedies for states to address air pollution coming from | ||||||
11 | out-of-state sources; therefore, be it
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12 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
13 | NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
14 | urge British Petroleum to review and reconsider the wastewater | ||||||
15 | treatment facilities proposed to serve the expansion and | ||||||
16 | reconfiguration of its Whiting Refinery with the specific | ||||||
17 | intent to supplement or enhance treatment efficiencies to | ||||||
18 | eliminate or reduce the projected increases of ammonia nitrogen | ||||||
19 | and total suspended solids discharged into Lake Michigan; and | ||||||
20 | be it further | ||||||
21 | RESOLVED, That we strongly urge the United States | ||||||
22 | Environmental Protection Agency to follow a strict |
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1 | interpretation of the federal Clean Water Act to minimize any | ||||||
2 | additional pollution into Lake Michigan; and be it further
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3 | RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Environmental | ||||||
4 | Protection Agency to prohibit the Whiting, Indiana British | ||||||
5 | Petroleum refinery from increasing the refinery's current | ||||||
6 | discharges of ammonia and total suspended solids into Lake | ||||||
7 | Michigan until the ecological and environmental impact of the | ||||||
8 | increased discharges is fully understood by federal and state | ||||||
9 | environmental regulators; and be it further
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10 | RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois delegation to the | ||||||
11 | United States Congress to take legislative action against any | ||||||
12 | planned increase in the discharge of pollution into Lake | ||||||
13 | Michigan that is contrary to the federal Clean Water Act and | ||||||
14 | threatens the health of the environment of this State; and be | ||||||
15 | it further | ||||||
16 | RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Congress to enact | ||||||
17 | Clean Water Act legislation requiring states to take certain | ||||||
18 | actions when permitting new sources of water pollution that may | ||||||
19 | increase pollution in nearby states and providing remedies for | ||||||
20 | states to address water pollution coming from out-of-state | ||||||
21 | sources; and be it further | ||||||
22 | RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Environmental |
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1 | Protection Agency to strengthen federal regulations to require | ||||||
2 | each state that permits a new source of water pollution to | ||||||
3 | provide written notice to all nearby states whose water quality | ||||||
4 | may be degraded by the new source at least 60 days before the | ||||||
5 | new source begins discharging pollution; and be it further | ||||||
6 | RESOLVED, That we encourage the federal government to take | ||||||
7 | action to give one state the right to bring an action in | ||||||
8 | federal court against another state that is causing or | ||||||
9 | contributing to water pollution that exceeds water quality | ||||||
10 | standards or otherwise adversely impacts the drinking water or | ||||||
11 | recreational uses of water in the first state; and be it | ||||||
12 | further | ||||||
13 | RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Environmental | ||||||
14 | Protection Agency to increase enforcement of existing clean | ||||||
15 | water laws to protect state waters from out-of-state pollution | ||||||
16 | sources, especially the Clean Water Act provision that | ||||||
17 | prohibits any decline in water quality even if limits on | ||||||
18 | pollution discharges are met; and be it further | ||||||
19 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
20 | delivered to the administrator of the United States | ||||||
21 | Environmental Protection Agency, Stephen L. Johnson, and to the | ||||||
22 | Great Lakes National Program Manager for the United States | ||||||
23 | Environmental Protection Agency, Mary A. Gade, to each member |
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1 | of the Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin delegations | ||||||
2 | to the United States Congress, and to the governors and state | ||||||
3 | legislative leaders of Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.". |