HR 620 — PROTECT LAKE MICHIGAN FROM BP

*LRB09512794CMK38209r* HR0620 Enrolled LRB095 12794 CMK 38209 r HOUSE RESOLUTION 620 WHEREAS, The British Petroleum oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana is planning an expansion that would increase the refinery’s discharges into Lake Michigan significantly, including 54% more ammonia (for a total discharge of 1,584 pounds of ammonia per day) and 35% more sludgetotal suspended solids (for a total discharge of 4,925 pounds of sludgetotal suspended solids per day) on a daily basis, running contrary to years of efforts to clean up the Great Lakes;

and WHEREAS, AmmoniaThe promotesbeaches algaeof bloomsLake thatMichigan canprovide killa fishsignificant insource theof Lakerecreation, tourism, and thedrinking sludgewater thatfor will be discharged into the LakeState byof BritishIllinois Petroleumand isother fullstates ofbordering concentratedthe heavyLake; metals;

and WHEREAS, Last year, 81% of Illinois beaches were declared unsafe due to algae and other pollution problems;

and WHEREAS, Ammonia promotes algae blooms that can kill fish in the Lake;

and HR0620 Enrolled -2- LRB095 12794 CMK 38209 r WHEREAS, Indiana State regulators are allowing British Petroleum to install equipment that mixes its toxic waste with clean lake water about 200 feet offshore, and actively diluting pollution in Lake Michigan in this way is banned under Indiana law;

and HR0620 -2- LRB095 12794 CMK 38209 r WHEREAS, The Indiana Department of Environmental Management granted British Petroleum the first-ever exemption to allow the pollution "mixing zone" in Lake Michigan;

and WHEREAS, The federal Clean Air Act requires states to take certain actions when permitting new sources of air pollution that may increase pollution in nearby states and provides remedies for states to address air pollution coming from HR0620 Enrolled -3- LRB095 12794 CMK 38209 r out-of-state sources;

therefore, be it HR0620 -3- LRB095 12794 CMK 38209 r RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we strongly urge theBritish UnitedPetroleum Statesto Environmentalreview Protectionand Agencyreconsider the wastewater treatment facilities proposed to followserve athe strictexpansion interpretationand reconfiguration of its Whiting Refinery with the federalspecific Cleanintent Waterto Actsupplement or enhance treatment efficiencies to minimizeeliminate anyor additionalreduce pollutionthe projected increases of ammonia nitrogen and total suspended solids discharged into Lake Michigan;

and be it further RESOLVED, That we strongly urge the United States Environmental Protection Agency to prohibitfollow thea Whiting,strict Indianainterpretation Britishof Petroleumthe refineryfederal fromClean increasingWater theAct refinery’sto currentminimize dischargesany ofadditional ammoniapollution and sludge into Lake MichiganMichigan; until the ecological and environmental impact of the increased discharges is fully understood by federal and state environmental regulators;

and be it further RESOLVED, That we urge the IllinoisUnited delegationStates Environmental Protection Agency to prohibit the UnitedWhiting, StatesIndiana CongressBritish toPetroleum takerefinery legislativefrom actionincreasing againstthe anyrefinery’s plannedcurrent increasedischarges inof theammonia dischargeand oftotal pollutionsuspended solids into Lake Michigan thatuntil isthe contraryecological toand theenvironmental federalimpact Cleanof Waterthe Actincreased anddischarges threatensis thefully healthunderstood ofby thefederal environmentand ofstate thisenvironmental State;regulators;

and be it further RESOLVED, That we urge the UnitedIllinois Statesdelegation Congress to enactthe CleanHR0620 WaterEnrolled Act-4- legislationLRB095 requiring12794 statesCMK to38209 taker certainUnited actionsStates whenCongress permittingto newtake sourceslegislative ofaction wateragainst pollutionany thatplanned mayincrease HR0620in -4-the LRB095discharge 12794of CMKpollution 38209into rLake increaseMichigan pollutionthat inis nearbycontrary statesto andthe providingfederal remediesClean forWater statesAct toand addressthreatens waterthe pollutionhealth comingof fromthe out-of-stateenvironment sources;of this State;

and be it further RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Congress to enact Clean Water Act legislation requiring states to take certain actions when permitting new sources of water pollution that may increase pollution in nearby states and providing remedies for states to address water pollution coming from out-of-state sources;

and be it HR0620 Enrolled -5- LRB095 12794 CMK 38209 r further RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Environmental Protection Agency to increase enforcement of existing clean water laws to protect state waters from out-of-state pollution sources, especially the Clean Water Act provision that prohibits any decline in water quality even if limits on pollution discharges are met;

and be it further HR0620 -5- LRB095 12794 CMK 38209 r RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Stephen L.