Public Act 097-0459
 
SB1213 EnrolledLRB097 02727 JDS 42748 b

    AN ACT concerning safety.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by
changing Sections 3.284 and 22.23b as follows:
 
    (415 ILCS 5/3.284)
    Sec. 3.284. Mercury switch. "Mercury switch" means a
product or device, containing mercury added during its
manufacture, that opens or closes an electrical circuit or gas
valve, or makes, breaks, or changes the connection in an
electrical circuit, including, but not limited to, mercury
float switches actuated by rising or falling liquid levels,
mercury tilt switches actuated by a change in the switch
position, mercury pressure switches actuated by a change in
pressure, mercury temperature switches actuated by a change in
temperature, and mercury flame sensors.
(Source: P.A. 93-964, eff. 8-20-04.)
 
    (415 ILCS 5/22.23b)
    Sec. 22.23b. Mercury and mercury-added products.
    (a) Beginning July 1, 2005, no person shall purchase or
accept, for use in a primary or secondary school classroom,
bulk elemental mercury, chemicals containing mercury
compounds, or instructional equipment or materials containing
mercury added during their manufacture. This subsection (a)
does not apply to: (i) other products containing mercury added
during their manufacture that are used in schools and (ii)
measuring devices used as teaching aids, including, but not
limited to, barometers, manometers, and thermometers, if no
adequate mercury-free substitute exists.
    (b) Beginning July 1, 2007, no person shall sell, offer to
sell, distribute, or offer to distribute in this State a
mercury switch or mercury relay individually or as a product
component. For a product that contains one or more mercury
switches or mercury relays as a component, this subsection (b)
is applicable to each component part or parts and not the
entire product. This subsection (b) does not apply to the
following:
        (1) Mercury switches and mercury relays used in medical
    diagnostic equipment regulated under the federal Food,
    Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
        (2) Mercury switches and mercury relays used at
    electric generating facilities.
        (3) Mercury switches in thermostats used to sense and
    control room temperature.
        (4) Mercury switches and mercury relays required to be
    used under federal law or federal contract specifications.
        (5) A mercury switch or mercury relay used to replace a
    mercury switch or mercury relay that is a component in a
    larger product in use before prior to July 1, 2007, and one
    of the following applies:
            (A) The larger product is used in manufacturing; or
            (B) The mercury switch or mercury relay is
        integrated and not physically separate from other
        components of the larger product.
    (c) The manufacturer of a mercury switch or mercury relay,
or a scientific instrument or piece of instructional equipment
containing mercury added during its manufacture, may apply to
the Agency for an exemption from the provisions of subsection
(a) or (b) of this Section for one or more specific uses of the
switch, relay, instrument, or piece of equipment by filing a
written petition with the Agency. The Agency may grant an
exemption, with or without conditions, if the manufacturer
demonstrates the following:
        (1) A convenient and widely available system exists for
    the proper collection, transportation, and processing of
    the switch, relay, instrument, or piece of equipment at the
    end of its useful life; and
        (2) The specific use or uses of the switch, relay,
    instrument, or piece of equipment provides a net benefit to
    the environment, public health, or public safety when
    compared to available nonmercury alternatives.
    Before approving any exemption under this subsection (c)
the Agency must consult with other states to promote
consistency in the regulation of products containing mercury
added during their manufacture. Exemptions shall be granted for
a period of 5 years. The manufacturer may request renewals of
the exemption for additional 5-year periods by filing
additional written petitions with the Agency. The Agency may
renew an exemption if the manufacturer demonstrates that the
criteria set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection
(c) continue to be satisfied. All petitions for an exemption or
exemption renewal shall be submitted on forms prescribed by the
Agency.
    The Agency must adopt rules for processing petitions
submitted pursuant to this subsection (c). The rules shall
include, but shall not be limited to, provisions allowing for
the submission of written public comments on the petitions.
    (d) No later than January 1, 2005, the Agency must submit
to the Governor and the General Assembly a report that includes
the following:
        (1) An evaluation of programs to reduce and recycle
    mercury from mercury thermostats and mercury vehicle
    components; and
        (2) Recommendations for altering the programs to make
    them more effective.
    In preparing the report the Agency may seek information
from and consult with, businesses, trade associations,
environmental organizations, and other government agencies.
    (e) Mercury switches and mercury relays, and scientific
instruments and instructional equipment containing mercury
added during their manufacture, are hereby designated as
categories of universal waste subject to the streamlined
hazardous waste rules set forth in Title 35 of the Illinois
Administrative Code, Subtitle G, Chapter I, Subchapter c, Part
733 ("Part 733"). Within 60 days of the effective date of this
amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, the Agency shall
propose, and within 180 days of receipt of the Agency's
proposal the Board shall adopt, rules that reflect this
designation and that prescribe procedures and standards for the
management of such items as universal waste.
    If the United States Environmental Protection Agency
adopts streamlined hazardous waste regulations pertaining to
the management of mercury switches or mercury relays, or
scientific instruments or instructional equipment containing
mercury added during their manufacture, or otherwise exempts
such items from regulation as hazardous waste, the Board shall
adopt equivalent rules in accordance with Section 7.2 of this
Act within 180 days of adoption of the federal regulations. The
equivalent Board rules may serve as an alternative to the rules
adopted under subsection (1) of this subsection (e).
    (f) Beginning July 1, 2008, no person shall install, sell,
offer to sell, distribute, or offer to distribute a mercury
thermostat in this State. For purposes of this subsection (f),
"mercury thermostat" means a product or device that uses a
mercury switch to sense and control room temperature through
communication with heating, ventilating, or air conditioning
equipment. "Mercury thermostat" includes thermostats used to
sense and control room temperature in residential, commercial,
industrial, and other buildings, but does not include
thermostats used to sense and control temperature as a part of
a manufacturing or industrial process.
(Source: P.A. 95-452, eff. 8-27-07.)
 
    Section 10. The Mercury Switch Removal Act is amended by
changing Section 15 as follows:
 
    (415 ILCS 97/15)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2017)
    Sec. 15. Mercury switch collection programs.
    (a) Within 60 days of the effective date of this Act,
manufacturers of vehicles in Illinois that contain mercury
switches must begin to implement a mercury switch collection
program that facilitates the removal of mercury switches from
end-of-life vehicles before prior to the vehicles are being
flattened, crushed, shredded, or otherwise processed for
recycling and to collect and properly manage mercury switches
in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act and
regulations adopted thereunder. In order to ensure that the
mercury switches are removed and collected in a safe and
consistent manner, manufacturers must, to the extent
practicable, use the currently available end-of-life vehicle
recycling infrastructure. The collection program must be
designed to achieve capture rates of not less than (i) 35% for
the period of July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007; (ii) 50% for
the period of July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008; and (iii)
70% for the period of July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009 and
for each subsequent period of July 1 through June 30. At a
minimum, the collection program must:
        (1) Develop and provide educational materials that
    include guidance as to which vehicles may contain mercury
    switches and procedures for locating and removing mercury
    switches. The materials may include, but are not limited
    to, brochures, fact sheets, and videos.
        (2) Conduct outreach activities to encourage vehicle
    recyclers and vehicle crushers to participate in the
    mercury switch collection program. The activities may
    include, but are not limited to, direct mailings,
    workshops, and site visits.
        (3) Provide storage containers to participating
    vehicle recyclers and vehicle crushers for mercury
    switches removed under the program.
        (4) Provide a collection and transportation system to
    periodically collect and replace filled storage containers
    from vehicle recyclers, vehicle crushers, and scrap metal
    recyclers, either upon notification that a storage
    container is full or on a schedule predetermined by the
    manufacturers.
        (5) Establish an entity that will serve as a point of
    contact for the collection program and that will establish,
    implement, and oversee the collection program on behalf of
    the manufacturers.
        (6) Track participation in the collection program and
    the progress of mercury switch removals and collections.
    (b) Within 90 days of the effective date of this Act,
manufacturers of vehicles in Illinois that contain mercury
switches must submit to the Agency an implementation plan that
describes how the collection program under subsection (a) of
this Section will be carried out for the duration of the
program and how the program will achieve the capture rates set
forth in subsection (a) of this Section. At a minimum, the
implementation plan must:
        (A) Identify the educational materials that will
    assist vehicle recyclers, vehicle crushers, and scrap
    metal processors in identifying, removing, and properly
    managing mercury switches removed from end-of-life
    vehicles.
        (B) Describe the outreach program that will be
    undertaken to encourage vehicle recyclers and vehicle
    crushers to participate in the mercury switch collection
    program.
        (C) Describe how the manufacturers will ensure that
    mercury switches removed from end-of-life vehicles are
    managed in accordance with the Illinois Environmental
    Protection Act and regulations adopted thereunder.
        (D) Describe how the manufacturers will collect and
    document the information required in the quarterly reports
    submitted pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section.
        (E) Describe how the collection program will be
    financed and implemented.
        (F) Identify the manufacturer's address to which the
    Agency should send the notice required under subsection (f)
    of this Section.
    The Agency shall review the collection program plans it
receives for completeness and shall notify the manufacturer in
writing if a plan is incomplete. Within 30 days after receiving
a notification of incompleteness from the Agency the
manufacturer shall submit to the Agency a plan that contains
all of the required information.
    (c) The Agency must provide assistance to manufacturers in
their implementation of the collection program required under
this Section. The assistance shall include providing
manufacturers with information about businesses likely to be
engaged in vehicle recycling or vehicle crushing, conducting
site visits to promote participation in the collection program,
and assisting with the scheduling, locating, and staffing of
workshops conducted to encourage vehicle recyclers and vehicle
crushers to participate in the collection program.
    (d) Manufacturers subject to the collection program
requirements of this Section shall provide, to the extent
practicable, the opportunity for trade associations of vehicle
recyclers, vehicle crushers, and scrap metal recyclers to be
involved in the delivery and dissemination of educational
materials regarding the identification, removal, collection,
and proper management of mercury switches in end-of-life
vehicles.
    (e) (Blank). For the calendar quarter ending March 31,
2007, and for each calendar quarter thereafter, not later than
45 days following the close of the calendar quarter
manufacturers subject to the collection program requirements
of this Section must submit to the Agency a quarterly report
that contains the following information: (i) the number of
vehicle recyclers, vehicle crushers, and scrap metal recyclers
participating in the manufacturer's collection program during
the reported quarter, (ii) the number of mercury switches
removed from end-of-life vehicles during the reported quarter
by the vehicle recyclers, vehicle crushers, and scrap metal
recyclers participating in the program, and (iii) the amount of
mercury collected and recycled through the manufacturer's
collection program during the reported calendar quarter.
    (f) If the reports required under this Act indicate that
the capture rates set forth in subsection (a) of this Section
for the period of July 1, 2007, though June 30, 2008, or for
any subsequent period have not been met the Agency shall
provide notice that the capture rate was not met; provided,
however, that the Agency is not required to provide notice if
it determines that the capture rate was not met due to a force
majeure. The Agency shall provide the notice by posting a
statement on its website and by sending a written notice via
certified mail to the manufacturers subject to the collection
program requirement of this Section at the addresses provided
in the manufacturers' collection plans. Once the Agency
provides notice pursuant to this subsection (f) it is not
required to provide notice in subsequent periods in which the
capture rate is not met.
    (g) Beginning 30 days after the Agency first provides
notice pursuant to subsection (f) of this Section, the
following shall apply:
        (1) Vehicle recyclers must remove all mercury switches
    from each end-of-life vehicle before vehicles prior to
    delivering the vehicle vehicles to an on-site or off-site
    vehicle crusher or to a scrap metal recycler, provided that
    a vehicle recycler is not required to remove a mercury
    switch that is inaccessible due to significant damage to
    the vehicle in the area surrounding the mercury switch that
    occurred before prior to the vehicle recycler's receipt of
    the vehicle in which case the damage must be noted in the
    records the vehicle recycler is required to maintain under
    subsection (c) of Section 10 Section 10(c) of this Act.
        (2) No vehicle recycler, vehicle crusher, or scrap
    metal recycler shall flatten, crush, or otherwise process
    an end-of-life vehicle for recycling unless all mercury
    switches have been removed from the vehicle, provided that
    a mercury switch that is inaccessible due to significant
    damage to the vehicle in the area surrounding the mercury
    switch that occurred before prior to the vehicle
    recycler's, or the vehicle crusher's, or scrap metal
    recycler's receipt of the vehicle is not required to be
    removed. The damage must be noted in the records the
    vehicle recycler or vehicle crusher is required to maintain
    under subsection (c) of Section 10 Section 10(c) of this
    Act.
        (3) Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) through (2) of this
    subsection (g) subsection (g)(1) of this Section, a scrap
    metal recycler may agree to accept an end-of-life vehicle
    that contains one or more mercury switches and that has not
    been flattened, crushed, shredded, or otherwise processed
    for recycling provided the scrap metal recycler removes all
    mercury switches from the vehicle before the vehicle is
    flattened, crushed, shredded, or otherwise processed for
    recycling. Scrap metal recyclers are not required to remove
    a mercury switch that is inaccessible due to significant
    damage to the vehicle in the area surrounding the mercury
    switch that occurred before prior to the scrap metal
    recycler's receipt of the vehicle. The damage must be noted
    in the records the scrap metal recycler is required to
    maintain under subsection (c) of Section 10 Section 10(c)
    of this Act.
        (4) Manufacturers subject to the collection program
    requirements of this Section must provide to vehicle
    recyclers, vehicle crushers, and scrap metal recyclers the
    following compensation for all mercury switches removed
    from end-of-life vehicles on or after the date of the
    notice: $2.00 for each mercury switch removed by the
    vehicle recycler, vehicle crusher, or the scrap metal
    recycler, the costs of the containers in which the mercury
    switches are collected, and the costs of packaging and
    transporting the mercury switches off-site. Payment of
    this compensation must be provided in a prompt manner.
    (h) In meeting the requirements of this Section
manufacturers may work individually or as part of a group of 2
or more manufacturers.
(Source: P.A. 94-732, eff. 4-24-06.)
 
    Section 15. The Mercury-added Product Prohibition Act is
amended by changing Section 27 as follows:
 
    (410 ILCS 46/27)
    Sec. 27. Sale and distribution of certain mercury-added
products prohibited.
    (a) On and after July 1, 2008, no person shall sell, offer
to sell, or distribute the following mercury-added products in
this State:
        (1) barometers;
        (2) esophageal dilators, bougie tubes, or
    gastrointestinal tubes;
        (3) flow meters;
        (4) hydrometers;
        (5) hygrometers;
        (6) manometers;
        (7) pyrometers;
        (8) sphygmomanometers;
        (9) thermometers; or
        (10) psychrometers; .
        (11) pressure transducers;
        (12) rings;
        (13) seals; or
        (14) sensors.
    (b) This Section does not apply to the sale of a
mercury-added product listed in paragraphs (1) through (14)
(10) of subsection (a) if use of the product is a federal
requirement or if the only mercury-added component in the
product is a button cell battery.
    (c) This Section does not apply to the sale of a
mercury-added product listed in paragraphs (1) through (14)
(10) of subsection (a) for which an exemption is obtained under
this subsection (c). The manufacturer of the product may apply
for an exemption for one or more uses of the product by filing
a written petition with the Agency. The Agency may grant an
exemption, with or without conditions, if the manufacturer
demonstrates the following:
        (1) a system exists for the proper collection,
    transportation, and processing of the product at the end of
    its useful life; and
        (2) one of the following applies:
            (i) use of the product provides a net benefit to
        the environment, public health, or public safety when
        compared to available nonmercury alternatives; or
            (ii) technically feasible nonmercury alternatives
        are not available at comparable cost.
    Before Prior to approving an exemption, the Agency may
consult with other states to promote consistency in the
regulation of the product for which the exemption is requested.
The Agency may also publish notice of its receipt of petitions
for exemptions on its website and consider public comments
submitted in response to the petitions. Exemptions shall be
granted for a term of 5 years and may be renewed for additional
5-year terms upon written application by the manufacturer if
the manufacturer demonstrates that the criteria of this
subsection (c) and the conditions of the product's original
exemption approval continue to be met. All petitions for
exemptions and exemption renewals shall be submitted on forms
prescribed by the Agency.
(Source: P.A. 95-87, eff. 8-13-07.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on July
1, 2012.