Major Conservation Cases Year in Review
Thank you each and every HOI member. Your membership and support
has made it possible for HOI to continue our environmental advocacy
in court and significant public hearings! Please be sure to renew
your Sierra membership for 2012 and consider a year-end financial
donation small or large directly to HOI to help with our ongoing
efforts. If we do not take care of our local environment and fight
for it, who will?
HOI
Sierra Club and Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste members with
Attorney David Wentworth, center, at the Illinois Supreme Court,
May 17, 2011.Delisting of Toxic Waste Case Heard at the Illinois Supreme Court
In coalition with Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste, our appeal of
the Peoria Disposal Company delisting of Electric Arc Furnace Dust
(EPA listed hazardous waste K061) was taken up by the Illinois
Supreme Court. Our case was one of just 12 cases selected out of 300
reviewed by the court for a decision in the session. Our sincere
thanks and appreciation go to our Attorney David Wentworth, with the
Peoria firm Hasselberg, Grebe, Snodgrass & Birdsall, who lead this
case and presented oral arguments in Springfield at the court on May
17, 2011. While we lost in the decision posted by the court on
October 27th, our participation did result in bringing awareness of
this issue to the public and we did get improvements in conditions
at the Illinois Pollution Control Board level.
Peoria Municipal Waste Landfill
Expansion
In coalition with Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste, HOI Sierra
was a key participant in efforts to reduce the mega-dump, and put
recycling into consideration with the landfill expansion. Efforts to
defeat the proposed 18 million ton design were successful, but the
10 million ton design received approval by the Landfill Siting
Committee on October 13th. PDC did agree to our request to guarantee
they would not attempt to site a chemical waste landfill in this
expansion and they did provide a mine subsidence plan.
Banner Strip Mine, Fulton County
Not one shovel of ground to develop this mine has been taken. Our
years of coalition efforts with the Citizens for the Preservation of
Banner Township and the Illinois Attorney General are just waiting
for the Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to
sign the final denial of this mine permit.
Industry Strip Mine, McDonough County
Sierra Club in coalition with Prairie Rivers Network and
Environmental Law & Policy Center have continued contesting the over
300 water permit violations at this mine at the Illinois Pollution
Control Board level. This mine is so bad it still has not stopped
its water permit violations since legal action was taken and
continues exceeding pollution limits.
Canton
Lake supplies drinking water for the city of Canton and several
small communities. A coal strip mine is planned a mile and a
half north of this lake.Our work in coalition with the Canton Area Citizens for Environmental Issues has been part of key efforts to contest this mine permit. The Administrative Review with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Hearing Office is now scheduled for February, 2012. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our attorney David Wentworth, with Hasselberg, Grebe, Snodgrass, Attorneys, Peoria, we have been able to respond to very challenging and troubling tactics IDNR has used in this case.
Rice Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area Army Corps Project
We sent in repeated comments and spoke at several meetings regarding protections needed for the historic eagle roost and other species at this site. The Army Corps did make some adjustments in their levee and other plans for the site based on public comments.