“BLACK LISTING” OF CHEMICALS IN COMMITTEE NEXT WEEK
While your company may not make or even use any of the phthalates or bisphenol A set to be banned in HB 5705 (Nekritz, D-Northbrook) and SB 2868 (Kotowski, D-Park Ridge), this is nonetheless the most onerous piece of legislation that the chemical industry will deal with this year. Aside from banning safe and proven chemicals from the market place, it also sets up a regulatory process by which the IEPA may designate other “priority” chemicals for further action (possible ban) if they can be found in (1) blood, urine, tissue and other bodily fluids, (2) drinking water, household dust, or indoor air, (3) has been added to or is present in any consumer product, or (4) has been identified as a high production volume chemical by the USEPA. This provision alone covers thousands of chemicals. This is nothing more than an attempt by the environmental community to “black list” many of our products that have been proven safe in their respective applications. The bill also designates priority chemicals of high concern, moderate concern, low concern, or unknown concern, and establishes information collection on thousands of chemicals by their manufacturers, which may interfere with confidential business information, i.e. trade secrets. This, of course, is to be funded through fees on chemical manufacturers. To sum it up in the words of one environmental activist pushing this bill, “I don’t want to have to come down to Springfield every time we want to ban a chemical.”
If you don’t want your products “black listed”, it is imperative that you notify your State Representative and Senator, either in their Springfield or district office, immediately if they are listed here.
Representatives District Springfield
May (D-Highland Park) (847) 433-9100 (217) 782-0902
McCarthy (D-Orland Park) (708) 226-1999 (217) 782-3316
Winters (R-Rockford) (815) 282-0083 (217) 782-0455
Bellock (R-Hinsdale) (630) 852-8633 (217) 782-1448
Boland (D-Moline) (309) 736-3360 (217) 782-3992
Froehlich (D-Schaumburg) (847) 985-9210 (217) 782-3725
Hamos (D-Evanston) (847) 424-9898 (217) 782-8052
Harris (D-Chicago) (773) 348-3434 (217) 782-3835
Lindner (R-Aurora) (630) 466-9791 (217) 782-1486
Pritchard (Hinckley) (815) 748-3494 (217) 782-0425
Riley (D-Matteson) (708) 283-0400 (217) 558-1007
Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) (815) 459-6453 (217) 782-0432
Senators:
Jacobs (D-Moline) (309) 797-0001 (217) 782-5957
Meeks (D-Chicago) (708) 862-1515 (217) 782-8066
Collins (D-Chicago) (773) 224-2830 (217) 782-1607
Crotty (D-Oak Forest) (708) 687-9696 (217) 782-9595
IMartinez (D-Chicago) (773) 489-2020 (217) 782-8191
Noland (D-Elgin) (847) 214-8864 (217) 782-7746
Peterson (R-Long Grove) (847) 634-6060 (217) 782-8010
Burzynski (R-Clare) (815) 895-6318 (217) 782-1977
Hultgren (R-Winfield) (630) 682-8100 (217) 782-8022
Rutherford (R-Chenoa) (815) 842-3632 (217) 782-6597
Other Bills of Interest in Committee Next Week
Clean Air Act Fast-Track Rulemakings
This measure, SB 2639 (Harmon, D-Oak Park), reenacts a section of the Environmental Protection Act concerning fast-track rulemaking for the Clean Air Act to provide that when the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 or another federal statute or regulation requires rules other than identical in substance rules to be adopted, upon request by the IEPA, the IPCB must adopt rules under fast-track rulemaking requirements. The bill further sets out the form for a fast-track rulemaking proposal and provides that in any fast-track rulemaking proceeding, the IPCB must accept evidence and comments on the economic impact of any provision of the rule and must consider the economic impact of the rule. CICI opposes this bill.
Clean Air Act Permitting
This measure, SB 2570 (Harmon, D-Oak Park), provides that the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act shall not apply to certain Clean Air Act Permitting Program permits issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.
CICI opposes this bill.
Flame Retardant Ban
For the 4th year in a row environmentalists have introduced a bill to ban brominated flame retardants. This year the measure is HB 5298 (Nekritz, D-Northbrook) and it would ban deca brominated diphenyl ether (decaBDE), the most widely used of the brominated flame retardants, in mattresses, mattress pads, articles of furniture, televisions, computers, or other electronic devices or any other product intended for indoor residential use if the product has a textile component containing decaBDE. The bill specifically exempts automobiles, not because decaBDE is any different in automobiles, but to lessen the bill’s opposition. Needless to say, CICI and many in the business community will be actively opposing this legislation.
Restrictions on High Capacity Wells
This proposal, SB 2370 (Garrett, D-Homewood), amends the Water Use Act of 1983 by Defining "high-capacity wells as a well where the rate or capacity of withdrawal of all wells on one property is in excess of 70 gallons of water per minute, or 100,000 gallons on any day. The bill also provides for the registration and imposes some restrictions on high capacity wells.
CICI opposes this bill.
Paid Sick Leave
This proposal, HB 5320 (Hamos, D-Evanston), creates the Healthy Workplace Act, requiring an employer to provide an employee up to 7 sick days with pay during each 12-month period. The employee may use the sick days for physical or mental illness, injury, medical condition, professional medical diagnosis or care, or a medical appointment of the employee or a family member.
CICI opposes this bill.
