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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The Illinois aggregates industry produces | ||||||
| 3 | high-quality crushed stone, sand, and gravel that is the | ||||||
| 4 | primary ingredient in concrete and asphalt pavement utilized | ||||||
| 5 | in construction and is the foundation of our society; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Illinois aggregates are utilized in the | ||||||
| 7 | manufacturing of everyday products, including glass, paper, | ||||||
| 8 | medicine, fertilizer, cleansers, cosmetics, and toothpaste; | ||||||
| 9 | they are also used in erosion and pollution control, slope and | ||||||
| 10 | shore protection, dams, water filtration, sewage and waste | ||||||
| 11 | water control, and drinking water purification; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, The Minerals Education Coalition estimates that | ||||||
| 13 | every American born in 2021 will need 1.32 million pounds of | ||||||
| 14 | stone, sand, and gravel in their lifetime; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, Illinois is blessed with geological formations | ||||||
| 16 | that provide abundant sources of high-quality aggregates; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, More than 230 aggregate mines currently operate | ||||||
| 18 | in 70 counties in Illinois, providing thousands of | ||||||
| 19 | well-paying, blue and white-collar jobs; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, Maximizing the utilization of local aggregates | ||||||
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| 1 | improves sustainability and minimizes the carbon footprint of | ||||||
| 2 | construction projects by reducing the number of trucks on the | ||||||
| 3 | road; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that | ||||||
| 5 | transport distances of 30 to 50 miles may increase the costs of | ||||||
| 6 | natural aggregate to the user by a factor of two to four | ||||||
| 7 | relative to the unit cost of aggregate at the extraction site; | ||||||
| 8 | and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, The Illinois State Geological Survey estimates | ||||||
| 10 | that the transportation cost for sand and gravel to the point | ||||||
| 11 | of utilization equals its price at the extraction site if | ||||||
| 12 | transported 15 to 21 miles and 27 to 34 miles for crushed | ||||||
| 13 | stone; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Center for Transportation is | ||||||
| 15 | currently conducting a study funded by the Illinois Department | ||||||
| 16 | of Transportation titled "Optimizing the Use of Local | ||||||
| 17 | Aggregates for Stone-Matrix Asphalt", which is yielding | ||||||
| 18 | positive early results; therefore, be it
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| 19 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | ||||||
| 20 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we strongly encourage | ||||||
| 21 | the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois | ||||||
| 22 | Tollway, and other Illinois state and local entities, when | ||||||
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| 1 | safe and practical, to maximize the utilization of locally | ||||||
| 2 | produced aggregates in Illinois construction projects; and be | ||||||
| 3 | it further
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| 4 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 5 | delivered to the Secretary of the Illinois Department of | ||||||
| 6 | Transportation and the Executive Director of the Illinois | ||||||
| 7 | Tollway.
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