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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Many Illinoisans suffer from respiratory disease; | ||||||
| 3 | in 2007, it was estimated that over 1.2 million people in | ||||||
| 4 | Illinois (12.8% of adults) are burdened with asthma; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Air pollution causes major health problems for | ||||||
| 6 | these and other Illinoisans; for the past 20 years, the State | ||||||
| 7 | of Illinois has had one of the highest asthma mortality rates | ||||||
| 8 | in the nation and has seen increasing prevalence, morbidity, | ||||||
| 9 | and mortality rates; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection Agency | ||||||
| 11 | (U.S. EPA) is charged by the United States Congress to protect | ||||||
| 12 | and improve the nation's air quality as required by the Clean | ||||||
| 13 | Air Act; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Clean air protections are good for Illinois' | ||||||
| 15 | economy and help save money, as the average length of an asthma | ||||||
| 16 | hospital stay is 3.3 days with a total direct cost of $15,155 | ||||||
| 17 | per person; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, On March 11, 2011, the U.S. EPA released the | ||||||
| 19 | Second Prospective Study estimating the benefits and costs of | ||||||
| 20 | the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990; the study found that the | ||||||
| 21 | direct benefits significantly exceed their direct costs, | ||||||
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| 1 | improving the economic welfare and quality of life for | ||||||
| 2 | Americans; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, That same report estimates that the economic | ||||||
| 4 | benefits of reducing fine particle and ground level ozone | ||||||
| 5 | pollution under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 will reach | ||||||
| 6 | approximately $2 trillion in 2020; these savings are a result | ||||||
| 7 | of disease prevention, prevention of lost-work days, and from | ||||||
| 8 | the prevention of approximately 230,000 premature human deaths | ||||||
| 9 | in 2020 alone; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, The U.S. EPA has a proven track record of | ||||||
| 11 | cost-effectively cleaning up a variety of air pollutants as | ||||||
| 12 | required under the Clean Air Act; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, The U.S. EPA is poised to set a number of | ||||||
| 14 | standards under the Clean Air Act in the next three years that | ||||||
| 15 | will cut dangerous pollution to protect our health and | ||||||
| 16 | environment; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, These standards will address the reduction of | ||||||
| 18 | toxic mercury pollution and ozone levels, and the curbing of | ||||||
| 19 | carbon pollution from power plants; therefore, be it
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| 20 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 21 | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
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| 1 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we support the United States | ||||||
| 2 | Environmental Protection Agency in its efforts to protect the | ||||||
| 3 | health of Illinoisans and fulfill the charge of the Clean Air | ||||||
| 4 | Act to clean up dangerous air pollution, including mercury, | ||||||
| 5 | lead, soot, smog, and carbon pollution; and be it further
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| 6 | RESOLVED, That we oppose any efforts in Congress to weaken | ||||||
| 7 | the U.S. EPA's ability to set standards to protect our health | ||||||
| 8 | and cut dangerous air pollution from power plants and other | ||||||
| 9 | large pollution sources; and be it further | ||||||
| 10 | RESOLVED, That we urge the Governor to represent the State | ||||||
| 11 | of Illinois as a supporter of the U.S. EPA's efforts to | ||||||
| 12 | implement the Clean Air Act as appropriate; and be it further | ||||||
| 13 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 14 | delivered to President Barack Obama, Governor Pat Quinn, | ||||||
| 15 | Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Lisa | ||||||
| 16 | P. Jackson, and the members of Illinois' congressional | ||||||
| 17 | delegation.
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