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Woods & WetlandsNews |
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Woods & WetlandsNews |
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CALENDAR: Meetings & Outings | |
Observations from a New Member | |
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Environmental Tax Rebate! | |
Sun Lake Forest Preserve Restoration Progress Report |
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W&W Needs YOU!! | |
Join the Club, Get Involved ! Shopping Coupons | |
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2001 Spring Legislative Report | |
Comments from the Chair on the Bush-Cheney Energy Plan |
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Open letter to U.S. Representative Kirk | |
Printable pdf W&W News Contributions Welcome! | |
| { Meetings | O Outings |
Join the Outings Committee to learn to lead outings, or just register
on our participants list. Enjoyment of our environment is our goal. The
next meeting is October 6 at the Lake County Forest Preserve Museum. It's
at Lakewood FPD on Fairfield and 176. We’ll take a hike, and then retreat
to the museum to plan a calendar of outings. Wilderness First Aid training
available for leaders in 2002. Call or e-mail Evan
Craig at 847-680-6437.
Four months ago I became an active member of the Sierra Club. Each day we make difficult choices trying to accommodate family, social and professional responsibilities into an already burdened schedule. I knew I wanted work in a small area, talk to residents, research the issues, talk to elected officials, set goals and develop a transparent collaborative plan of action. A new member—an "outsider"— looks at things differently. I thought it reasonable to identify and speak to other environmental and conservation groups in and near the township. That routine decision is the keystone of this article.
I believe we should open a dialogue and revisit our methods, focus and message. I also believe that we should set goals and develop action plans resulting in success. The following three observations demonstrate why I feel the effort is important.
This group has collected 1,300 signatures, demanded and received a public meeting with their state senator, state representative, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Corps of Engineers, and Fox Waterway Agency. They have submitted detailed questions which their state representative has turned over to the agencies. The follow-up meeting was scheduled for August 30th and the agencies have promised to have their answers to these citizen groups five days before the meeting. These two groups are homeowners in seven housing developments which surround this project.
In addition to monitoring the Village of Island Lake, these residents have contacted neighboring subdivisions in Fox River Valley Gardens and they are developing a grass roots organization. These groups asked for a web site to list all village meetings, minutes of meetings, how their representatives voted and other matters of local interest. Neither Island Lake nor Fox River Valley Gardens televises their village proceedings. I was just advised that the Village of Island Lake instructed their police department to remove their protest signs. The group went to their village hall and worked out a compromise permitting five signs.
This example of an informal group, using self-help, organized and moved in a focused and effective manner and may ultimately stop this project. Additionally this situation demonstrated the potential of a project to develop unexpected political and legal consequences.
An executive summary dated a few years ago stated that every new resident gets an annual subsidy from federal, state, county, township, village and school boards equal to $16,800. This annual subsidy of $67,200 for a family of four goes a long way to explain the financial stress on our school districts. I have handed out dozens of these surveys and I am asked why they haven’t heard about the survey until now. Actually we believe the subsidy is far higher in Lake County but we cannot prove it. This cost-benefit type of analysis should be incorporated into the traditional arguments against sprawl.
Every study I have seen indicates that government doesn’t have the financial ability to support sprawl development and tremendous evidence exists that challenges the ability of new roads to deliver relief from congestion. These messages have relevance beyond this township. We have access to the University of Chicago, Northwestern University and numerous other universities— why not call upon them to partner with us and analyze the data and publicize the results? I know taxpayers are interested.
| Use These Jewel Shop & Share and Dominick's Benefit
Days Coupons.
Just click Coupons, print them out, and turn them in at the checkout on any of the designated days. |
The irony is delightful. After all, the Bush administration had argued that Americans needed this rebate money to buy new things. Instead, Mary’s share of this money has been invested in a group that actively encourages people to buy less and reuse more. The administration claimed Americans needed a rebate to help pay their heating bills after a winter of sky-high gas prices. But instead of lining the pockets of oil producers, Mary sent her check to a group advocating conservation and alternative energy production, no matter the current price of petroleum products.
In short, Mary took a lemon from the Bush administration and turned it into environmental lemonade. The Woods & Wetlands group will use Mary’s donation to communicate with our membership about environmental issues in our community. Her donation will also help fund our restoration project at Sun Lake Forest Preserve.
Over the next few weeks, most of us will receive rebate checks. Whether
or not you supported the tax cut, you will get a check, and it will be
all yours to save, or spend or invest. How will you use it?
This is a worthwhile hands-on project which includes restoration days at the site every second Saturday morning of the month at 9 am: September 8, October 13, November 10 and December 8.
Go north on Deep Lake Road from Route 132–Grand Avenue, west on Painted Lake Road, left on Spring Farm Road, right on Longwood Drive, and park in the cul-de-sac. Look for a friendly group to join.
Lately, we have worked to control the growth of non-native buckthorn to allow for the natural propagation of the prairie and the growth of new oak trees surrounding the majestic old growth oaks on site.
If you are interested in the planning process, our Sun Lake Restoration Committee welcomes you for your cognitive support also. We usually meet at the 21 East Coffee House in Grayslake at 9 am on Saturdays. This is at the southeast corner of Lake Street and Route 120. Call or e-mail John Massman at 838-9440 or Mike Quinn 367-1267.
This committee is for the person with a love for the environment who is willing to help reach the goal of site restoration and achieve—with some time and patience—the concrete result of returning 189 acres to its natural condition for the enjoyment for generations to come.
Restoration will be a boon to bird and animal populations—we do know
that sandhill cranes, coyotes and deer are now home at Sun Lake. For an
introduction to Sun Lake, see Discover
Sun Lake in Issue 32.
Other roles for member volunteers include: Membership Committee, Outings Committee, Leadership, Stewardship, Local Endorsement Committees. See our Volunteer page for more complete descriptions and who to contact.
Don't have time, but would like to help more locally? We need your financial
support. Sprawl rages in Lake County, and the environmental damage is severe
and long lasting. With sufficient resources we could benefit from local
staff support to research threats and represent us at critical meetings.
Please give to your local W&W Group. Send a check to Sierra Club Woods
& Wetlands at POB 5012, Vernon Hills, IL 60061.
... and now a word from your house!
Energy Ecotip Lower your hot
water to 120° and drain any sediment Heating cold water is energy intensive
- and a great place to save energy. Though you need to keep your water
heater above 120 degrees to prevent bacteria from building up, many hot
water heaters are set too high. Experts also recommend draining a pint
of water from the water heater twice year to reduce sediment and increase
efficiency. |
This spring W&W organized member visits with several state legislators to do just that. Each visit consisted of the group chair and two to six member volunteers who were invited by e-mail and by phone. Thanks to those who took the time and made the effort! Before each visit we got together to discuss the issues chosen by the chapter leadership. Members don’t have to be experts on the topics— their role is to understand why it’s important to the environment and to explain that it’s important to them. Citing a local example is ideal.
This year we met with Reps. May, Beaubien and Osmond, and Sen. Peterson. We raised issues on sprawl, water quality, and polluting energy sources. We would like to be able to meet with all of our representatives, and encourage members to join us on a lobbying visit. Here is what was discussed:
HB2361–The Fair Share Tollway Bill: Fondly known as "the 75% solution," this bill would require that a new toll-road recoup 75% of its cost from its own tolls. Because of the extreme expense of building tollways in wetlands the Route 53 extension is not expected to pass this test. Rather than flunk the road, some of our legislators refuse to administer this test. Thanks to sponsors Rep. Jack Franks, Beth Coulson and Susan Garrett.
HB135–Tollway Oversight: The Toll Authority gets free land from IDOT to build its roads, but is not responsible to the voters for its operation. This bill would give legislators a say in the tollway’s budget to prevent spending billions on sprawl boondoggles. Thanks to Reps. May and Garrett, and also to Senator Terry Link for his efforts in the Senate. Without the support of Reps. Osmond, Moore, Beaubien and Mathias these bills never made it to a vote. Jeers go to Rep Sid Mathias who made an unsuccessful attempt to swipe $830M from IDOT’s strained budget in order to fund the Route 53 nightmare.
Sewer Facility Expansion Guidelines: Many
of our rivers, including the Des Plaines, receive a significant fraction
of their flow from sewage treatment plants. These plants are required to
remove pathogens and solids from their effluent, but not pollutants like
phosphorus that degrade the water quality. 
Moreover,
because of the sprawling growth in Lake County, the sheer volume of water
from these facilities changes or even overwhelms the creeks and rivers
that receive their flow. We proposed legislation to strengthen the EPA’s
role in preventing new sewer-line extensions from damaging local streams.
For instance, new development in Richmond would burden the north branch
of the Nippersink Creek with five times its normal flow. Rep. Beth Coulson
co-sponsored HB604, and it passed in the House by 71 to 39, with our own
Rep. Tim Osmond thumbing his nose. Sen. Peterson is the chief sponsor of
this bill in the senate, and was joined by over a dozen senator co-sponsors,
including our Sens. Terry Link and Adeline Geo-Karis. Unfortunately, the
senate leadership is letting it languish in the Rules Committee.
Local Planning Technical Assistance for Municipalities: Many small communities tempted by sprawl are doomed to repeat past mistakes without help. HB505 would enable the distribution and implementation of model ordinances. Thanks to Rep. Mark Beaubien, Sid Mathias and Sens. Peterson and Geo-Karis for cosponsoring this. It passed the House unanimously and is stuck in the Senate.
Live-Near-Work Compact: Mixed development is a good antidote to sprawl. HB504 provides state matching funds for programs to bring employees closer to work. We asked for residency requirement for the employer to prevent new companies from subsidizing their exodus from cities, and supported this bill. The bill earned cosponsorships by Reps. Garrett, Mathias and Beaubien before winning unanimous approval in the house, and is still in the senate where Sen. Peterson is a chief co-sponsor.
Local Legacy Act: The first step in protecting our natural resources is to identify and catalog them. HB2358 would fund county-municipal partnerships for the purpose of inventorying and protecting natural areas, farm-land, and cultural resources. Thanks to co-sponsorship by Reps. Moore, May and Coulson, the bill passed the House 109 to 5, and was welcomed in the senate by Adeline Geo-Karis as a chief co-sponsor.
Permits for Water Withdrawals: One of the threats from new power plants, including "peakers," is the severe stress they place on our water supply. The problem is acute because of the exploding needs of our sprawling population, and wasteful uses like watering lawns. The bottom line is that these withdrawals threaten to dry up our aquifers, lakes and stream habitats. Even our account with Lake Michigan is overdrawn, so all fresh-water sources are at their limit. We supported legislation to regulate new requirements that exceed 2,000,000 gallons per day or that stress the community supply. Fresh water is likely to be the most valuable commodity of this century, and it’s time to implement a stewardship program for citizens and wildlife. This legislation was initiated by our best county board members, and sponsored by Rep Jack Franks of McHenry. It passed the house, and like HB604, got lost in the Senate Rules Committee. We would like to see all of our representatives and senators support this bill next session.
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$3.5 billion Subsidies for Coal and New Power Plants: With the commotion whipped up by the energy extortion crisis in California, our legislators panicked. A rash of legislation intended to stimulate more power-plant construction included such ominous titles as: HB63–Coal Mining and Burning Subsidies: $500M; SB392 (passed S)– Tax Exemptions for Power Plants: $500M; SB601–Tax Exemptions for Power Plants: $185M and were even sponsored by Sen. Bill Peterson. We showed them how construction of new power plants in Illinois has already provided at least a 50 percent electricity surplus, but to no avail. Christmas came in June for the coal and electricity industry when in the extended days of the spring session HB1599 surfed a wave of California blackouts through the assembly, right past Governor Ryan, into law. We salute Rep. Susan Garrett for being the only legislator from our territory with a cool head who voted No. We wonder who the others were representing on this vote? |
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The only bright spot in this dark picture was the passage of SB372.
After strong requirements were gutted the bill was reconstructed to begin
the process of enforcing clean-up of 24 1977 vintage coal fired power plants
in our state, including one in Waukegan. These plants have been exceeding
limits set by the Clean Air Act for almost three decades, and are a primary
source of smog-acid rain-poisonous- metals-toxic-soup-air-pollution. Thanks
to chief cosponsors Rep. Moore and Sen. Link, and Rep. Garrett, Rep. Beth
Coulson, and Sen. Geo-Karis for their support from W&W territory. The
bill was passed unanimously, and will take effect over the next five to
10 years.
The Woods & Wetlands Group of the Sierra Club represents the environmental concerns of over 2000 members in the northest Illinois region. We suffer from regular ozone action alerts that urge us to stay inside and restrict our activities. Poor air quality strikes at those least able cope: asthmatics and children. In the long run, the consequences of the energy choices we have made will be intolerable if we repeat poor energy choices of the past: fossil fuel and nuclear energy. These sources burden Illinois with poor air, and a continuing and unresolved acute threat from high level radioactive waste incorrectly stored at our large number of reactors.
Illinois has seen a huge surge in the construction of natural gas power plants, and presently has access to a 50 percent surplus beyond the requirements of a one year in 10 high energy usage. In addition, an additional 50 percent surplus beyond that is permitted, and may be built within two years. These sources place us beyond an emergency situation, but they were permitted with compromised clean air regulation (the NOx waiver). We expect more from our government to protect our clean air. In addition, we oppose the environmental destruction that has unavoidably accompanied the extraction of fossil and nuclear fuels. We oppose "streamlining" our environmental protection laws to serve the electric power industry, including the construction of distribution lines.
Yucca mountain is an unacceptable, political remedy for a serious problem. Although we are burdened with a dangerous presence of HLRW, we favor proper—not so presently— onsite storage methods while a science based long term storage method is implemented. No additional permitting that will result in additional production of radioactive waste should be granted until the disposal issue is resolved. Operating permits on existing plants should not be extended or renewed. Focusing on domestic fossil-fuel supply is wrong when most of our supply is foreign. Tapping ANWR would be a tragic gesture to industry that would be an insignificant factor in dealing with our energy needs. Instead, we need to focus on conservation, and research and deployment of renewable energy like wind, and put an end to government subsidies for fossil and nuclear energy. Funding for renewables and conservation should be increased, not decreased, and funding for these programs should not be tied to funding or revenues from environmentally destructive industry. Renewables are quicker to market, politically reliable, cheaper, and safer solutions. Clean-coal subsidies should be eliminated until the grandfathered permits of all coal power plants are sunset, and these plants outfitted with the Best Available Control Technology. Voluntary compliance is no compliance. Further, we strongly believe that we need immediate and significant action by the U.S. to curb our production of greenhouse gases. It is irresponsible and cowardly to be the source of most of the world’s emissions, but blame developing nations for our refusal to reduce our emissions.
If we lack supply for oil, we should increase CAFE standards. If we
lack for electricity, we need higher efficiency standards for air conditioners.
And we need a national renewable energy portfolio standard of at least
20 percent by 2020. Finally, we object to the cavalier, misleading and
intellectually insulting conduct of the administration. The California
crisis could have been averted. Illinois’ knee-jerk $3.5 billion legislation
to support more coal power would never have happened if the Bush-Cheney
administration were not fanning fears. We need real public hearings on
these serious topics, where the citizenry is allowed the opportunity to
ask questions of those guiding such misdirected policies, and get answers
that are shared in a public forum.
 When you or your
friend join Sierra Club, it helps make the Club stronger. When you do it
using a W&W form, more of your membership contribution goes to W&W
for local action. Copy this invitation into an e-mail to your friends and
edit it so they know it's from you. E-mail
your friend.
Friend -
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We recently read that Excelon, the owner of the closed Zion nuclear power plant, might be planning to build a new nuclear power plant on that site.
As you know, all nuclear power plants produce high level nuclear radioactive waste (HLRW), and if built, this one would add to the dangerous quantities of these materials already stored at that site.
We contacted you previously to express our grave concerns about the threat this material poses to Lake Michigan and the thousands of people who live near that facility and the millions who drink Lake Michigan water. We know you share our concerns about this.
In my last letter to you I pointed out that HLRW that has been stored at the Zion facility for decades is still regulated by the NRC under of 10 CFR Part 50. These regulations were intended to address on-site storage of the HLRW for only a few months while the reactors were in operation. I suggested that 10 CFR Part 72, developed in the early 1980s specifically to provide reasonable assurance of public health and safety against the dangers of spent fuel storage, should be imposed instead.
Now the Bush administration is pushing for new deployment of nuclear power on our soil. We have not determined a safe, science-based, long-term storage solution for the radioactive waste already generated. Shouldn’t we at least be properly enforcing safety regulations for long term on-site storage of this dangerous material before allowing the construction or operation of new nuclear power plants?
We feel strongly that the nuclear industry should not be allowed to sacrifice safety in a futile attempt to become more competitive. With a NRC clearly disposed to relaxing safety requirements, we feel just as strongly that the public should not be obligated to shield the nuclear industry from the liability for the consequences of these bad decisions.
Thank you for opposing the extension of the Price Anderson Act that would have laid this burden on the public. We appreciate your support for safe and clean energy sources for our future, and your concern for the dangerous legacy of the nuclear era. Please work with us to change business as usual in the electric power industry.
Evan Craig
Sierra Club Woods & Wetlands Group Chair
Review our previous letter here.
Members are invited to join the
W&W group's e-mail lists. On the ALERTS list you will receive infrequent
timely posts from the Group Chair (only), primarily on local issues. Some
of these appear on this website, and if you subscribe you will learn about
them in time to help. The ISSUES list allows you to share in a discussion
with other W&Wers. To sign up, click LISTS,
and then, for each one you want to try out, insert your name into these
commands in the body of the message :
We do not share e-mail address lists, and you can remove yourself from either list at any time.
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