Full Text of HR1174 96th General Assembly
HR1174 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Perchloroethylene (hereinafter referred to as | 3 |
| "perc") has been the solvent of choice for commercial clothes | 4 |
| cleaning operations since the 1960s; and
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| WHEREAS, The use of perc by dry cleaners can expose humans | 6 |
| and the environment to perc through releases to soil, water, | 7 |
| and air; and
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| WHEREAS, Perc has been shown to have a variety of health | 9 |
| and safety issues associated with its use, has been classified | 10 |
| as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for | 11 |
| Research on Cancer and as a potential human carcinogen by the | 12 |
| National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, and has | 13 |
| been shown by the U.S. EPA to cause other non-cancer health | 14 |
| effects; and
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| WHEREAS, Studies performed by environmental authorities | 16 |
| and others in California, New York, and New Jersey indicate | 17 |
| that exposure to perc emissions from dry cleaning operations | 18 |
| may result in unacceptable health risks to people living near | 19 |
| dry cleaning facilities; and
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| WHEREAS, The U.S. EPA has adopted regulations to eliminate | 21 |
| the use of perc in dry cleaning facilities located in |
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| residential buildings by 2020, and the California Air Resources | 2 |
| Board has passed rules to eliminate the use of perc at all dry | 3 |
| cleaning facilities by 2023; and
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| WHEREAS, There is an increasing trend in the detection of | 5 |
| perc in community water system wells in Illinois; and
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| WHEREAS, 81% of the public health notices issued for | 7 |
| volatile organic compounds that exceed Illinois Pollution | 8 |
| Control Board groundwater quality standards or Safe Drinking | 9 |
| Water Act maximum contaminant levels have been triggered by the | 10 |
| detection of perc or its degradation products in community | 11 |
| water system wells; and
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| WHEREAS, The dry cleaning industry is a highly | 13 |
| decentralized sector, with the vast majority of dry cleaners in | 14 |
| Illinois being small neighborhood businesses at which cleaning | 15 |
| and finishing are performed on the premises; and
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| WHEREAS, Many of these drycleaners are increasingly faced | 17 |
| with financial liability associated with cleaning up perc | 18 |
| contaminated soil and groundwater; and
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| WHEREAS, There are a number of alternatives to perc-based | 20 |
| dry cleaning that are either emerging or commercially viable | 21 |
| that can minimize the impact of commercial clothes cleaning |
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| facilities on human health and the environment; and
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| WHEREAS, Many dry cleaners recognize the inherent | 3 |
| liabilities in the use of perc and would like to shift to | 4 |
| environmentally friendly and economically competitive cleaning | 5 |
| technologies, but these cleaners may be limited in their choice | 6 |
| of cleaner technologies due to the time and resources needed to | 7 |
| evaluate these technologies and the level of capital investment | 8 |
| necessary to update their facilities; and
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| WHEREAS, The General Assembly finds it necessary to form a | 10 |
| Task Force to study appropriate methods for phasing out the use | 11 |
| of perc in dry cleaning operations in Illinois and encouraging | 12 |
| the use of environmentally friendly alternatives; therefore, | 13 |
| be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 15 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 16 |
| there is created a Clean Technology Task Force for Commercial | 17 |
| Clothes Cleaning to identify barriers to using environmentally | 18 |
| friendly alternatives to perc in dry cleaning operations in | 19 |
| Illinois, and to study appropriate methods for phasing out the | 20 |
| use of perc in dry cleaning operations in Illinois and | 21 |
| encouraging the use of cleaner clothes cleaning technologies; | 22 |
| and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the | 2 |
| following members:
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| (1) The Director of the Illinois Environmental | 4 |
| Protection Agency ("Director"), or his or her | 5 |
| representative, who shall serve as chairman of the Task | 6 |
| Force; | 7 |
| (2) 4 members appointed by the Director to represent | 8 |
| the dry cleaning industry, including at least one member | 9 |
| who represents a state-wide dry cleaners' organization and | 10 |
| 2 members who represent regional or major metropolitan dry | 11 |
| cleaning associations; | 12 |
| (3) One member appointed by the Director to represent | 13 |
| the Dry Cleaner Environmental Response Trust Fund; | 14 |
| (4) 2 members appointed by the Director who own or | 15 |
| operate dry cleaning facilities in Illinois that utilize | 16 |
| environmentally friendly cleaning alternatives; | 17 |
| (5) One member appointed by the Director to represent | 18 |
| community water supply well owners and operators; | 19 |
| (6) One member appointed by the Director to represent | 20 |
| the Groundwater Advisory Council; | 21 |
| (7) One member appointed by the Director to represent | 22 |
| local government environmental and public health agencies; | 23 |
| (8) One member appointed by the Director to represent | 24 |
| the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center; and | 25 |
| (9) 2 members appointed by the Director to represent | 26 |
| environmental public interest organizations; and be it |
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| further | 2 |
| RESOLVED, That the methods studied by the Task Force for | 3 |
| encouraging the use of cleaner clothes cleaning technologies in | 4 |
| Illinois shall include, but not be limited to, technical | 5 |
| training and assistance, demonstration projects and education, | 6 |
| solvent usage fees, and financial incentives; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Illinois Environmental Protection | 8 |
| Agency shall provide staff and support for the Task Force; and | 9 |
| be if further
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| RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall receive | 11 |
| no compensation for serving as members of the Task Force; and | 12 |
| be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit a report on its | 14 |
| findings to the Governor and the General Assembly by December | 15 |
| 31, 2010, which may be in the form of proposed legislation.
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