Full Text of HR0121 101st General Assembly
HR0121 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HR0121 | | LRB101 10365 ALS 55471 r |
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, There is no safe blood lead level identified for | 3 | | children, and even low levels have been shown to affect IQ, the | 4 | | ability to pay attention, and academic achievement; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Recent studies have suggested that low-level lead | 6 | | exposure in adults is associated with cardiovascular disease | 7 | | and other health conditions; higher levels exponentially | 8 | | increase that risk; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, In October 2018, the Illinois Department of Public | 10 | | Health reported that more than 7,000 Illinois children had | 11 | | blood lead levels greater than the intervention level | 12 | | recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and | 13 | | Prevention; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency | 15 | | estimates that the State has more than 400,000 lead service | 16 | | lines, with an additional 1.5 million lines that may be leaded; | 17 | | and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, The City of Chicago required the use of lead | 19 | | service lines for pipes up to two inches until Congress banned | 20 | | their use in 1986; in the City of Chicago, there are an | 21 | | estimated 385,000 lead service lines, including unknown |
| | | HR0121 | - 2 - | LRB101 10365 ALS 55471 r |
|
| 1 | | materials that are likely to be lead; this is an amount that is | 2 | | three times more than any other city in the United States; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, The Environmental Defense Fund reports that 53 | 4 | | communities in the United States have publicly set a goal to | 5 | | eliminate lead service lines; 36 communities have taken the | 6 | | initial steps toward replacement, and six communities have | 7 | | completed replacement programs; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Lead service lines, the lead pipe that connects | 9 | | the main under the street to a home, day care facility, or | 10 | | other building, is the dominant source of lead in drinking | 11 | | water for buildings that have these lines; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Lead service lines are commonly found with aging | 13 | | water mains that need to be replaced or repaired, and those | 14 | | activities have been shown to significantly increase lead in | 15 | | drinking water if the lead service line is disturbed and not | 16 | | fully replaced; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Such maintenance and repair programs, along with | 18 | | the associated increased risk of lead exposure that results, | 19 | | may disproportionately impact minority and low-income | 20 | | residents, many of whom are already at a greater risk of lead | 21 | | exposure from lead-based paint hazards and contaminated soil; | 22 | | and
|
| | | HR0121 | - 3 - | LRB101 10365 ALS 55471 r |
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, In April of 2016, the American Water Works | 2 | | Association, the professional society for drinking water | 3 | | utilities, stated its support for replacing all lead service | 4 | | lines over time as a broad societal commitment; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Any lead service line replacement plan must | 6 | | address lead exposure risk in underserved communities; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, When making decisions and setting priorities | 8 | | regarding the identification, planning, and implementation of | 9 | | lead service line replacement programs in underserved | 10 | | communities, the input and inclusion of impacted residents and | 11 | | community organizations must be included; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Many Illinois residents lack confidence in the | 13 | | safety and quality of their drinking water; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, The public deserves a concrete plan for the | 15 | | elimination of lead service lines for drinking water; | 16 | | therefore, be it
| 17 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 18 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 19 | | we urge every Illinois municipality that utilizes lead service | 20 | | lines to develop a plan to minimize the risk of lead exposure |
| | | HR0121 | - 4 - | LRB101 10365 ALS 55471 r |
|
| 1 | | to its residents by developing a plan consisting of short and | 2 | | long-term steps to fully eliminate lead pipes from its drinking | 3 | | water systems; and be it further
| 4 | | RESOLVED, That the process of lead service line replacement | 5 | | presents significant environmental justice concerns, and | 6 | | municipal initiatives must service consumers in an equitable | 7 | | manner without regard to income, race, or ethnicity; and be it | 8 | | further
| 9 | | RESOLVED, That any plan for the removal of lead service | 10 | | lines must prioritize reducing exposure to children and | 11 | | appropriately address the needs of low-income and underserved | 12 | | communities in particular; a plan should also identify and | 13 | | develop opportunities to designate resources for the removal | 14 | | and replacement of lead service lines, including within any | 15 | | capitol improvement plan, relevant grant programs, and any | 16 | | other available funding source.
|
|