I-TAN Alert Illinois Clean Water Fund  March 12th, 1999

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Here is the I-TAN Action Alert, as of March 12, 1999, which is the fourth activation of I-TAN for the 1999 calendar year.

ALERT
Please contact your State Senator's office today and urge them to SUPPORT Senate Bill 948. Then, please contact your State Representative's office and urge them to SUPPORT House Bill 1690. These two identical bills would provide new funding to clean up polluted rivers and lakes by establishing a water pollution permit fee. The Senate bill will be considered on Wednesday morning at 9:30. The House bill will also be considered very soon.

You can reach both your State Rep and State Senator's office by calling the State Capitol switchboard during business hours at 217-782-2000 and asking to be transferred to their office. To find out exactly who your federal and state representatives, click VoteSmart, and enter your Zip code.

EXPLANATION
Currently in Illinois, there are over 5,000 industries, sewage treatment plants, and other facilities that have a permit from the Illinois EPA to dump sewage into Illinois' rivers, lakes, and streams. These permits are required by the federal Clean Water Act for any activity which results in the discharge of water pollution. These permit applications are processed by state employees, at taxpayer expense, without any cost to the polluter.

While licenses to pollute the water in Illinois are absolutely free, most other states (39 others) charge a fee for these permits. We believe establishing a fee for water pollution permits, as proposed in HB 1690, sponsored by State Rep. Andrea Moore (R-Libertville), and SB 948, sponsored by State Sen. Lisa Madigan (D-Chicago), serves three important objectives:

Make Polluters Pay Their Own Way

When state employees spend time writing licenses to pollute for industries and sewage treatment plants, they are using resources that could be used to clean up our rivers, lakes, and streams. Most other states require dischargers to pay for this service, rather than the taxpayers. Illinois EPA estimates that each year $3-5 million dollars of public funds are spent providing these services to dischargers.

Raise Funds For Waterway Cleanup

Illnois EPA has identified over 300 rivers, lakes, and streams across Illinois that are impaired by pollution and in need of cleanup. These waterways are in need of cleanup plans that would determine where the pollution is coming from, and how to reduce it. Unfortunately, IEPA at best hopes to complete cleanup plans for only twelve of these waterways in the next two years due to inadequate resources. At that pace, it would be decades before all the needed cleanup plans are complete. HB 1690 and SB 948 would provide the needed funding to deliver clean water faster.

Provide an Incentive to Reduce Pollution

HB 1690 and SB 948 would make the fee for a pollution permit based on the volume of the discharge, and on whether or not it contains toxic chemicals. This would provide a financial incentive for industries to dump less pollution into our waterways, and to make their discharge less toxic.

HB 1690 and SB 948 would create a system of fees for water pollution permits that is very similar to those charged by our neighbor states, Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky. (All of our neighbors charge at least some fee for water pollution permits.) A nominal permit application fee would be established, to be paid once every five years, and an additional annual fee that would be based on the volume and toxicity of the discharge. For example, an industry that is discharging ten million gallons per day of water that contains one or more toxic chemicals would pay much more than a small sewage treatment plant that is discharging a fraction of that amount with no toxic chemicals. Such a system has worked well for our neighbor states.

Please contact your legislators TODAY. The chemical, oil, and utility companies are putting the pressure on to keep water pollution free in Illinois. Again, the capital switchboard number is 217-782-2000.

If you'd like more information, please call the Chapter office at 312-251-1680.

This concludes the I-TAN Action Alert.

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Send all comments concerning this action alert to the attention of Jack Darin at illinois.chapter@sierraclub.org or call 312-251-1680.
 

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