96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB3829

 

Introduced 2/25/2009, by Rep. Patricia R. Bellock

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Great Lakes Preservation and Protection Act. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois International Port District to submit an annual report to the General Assembly concerning ballast water in the Great Lakes. Requires the Agency and the Department of Natural Resources to offer technical assistance to the Great Ships Initiative for the purpose of accelerating the development and approval of ballast-treatment technology that is sufficient to protect the waters of the State from aquatic invasive species. Requires the Department to sample and monitor the Illinois waters of Lake Michigan for new aquatic nuisance species and report its findings annually to the General Assembly. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning conservation.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Great
5 Lakes Preservation and Protection Act.
 
6     Section 5. Legislative findings and purpose.
7     (a) The General Assembly finds all of the following:
8         (1) The Great Lakes are of a tremendous value to
9     Illinois as an environmental and economic resource, both as
10     the world's largest source of fresh water and as a crucial
11     channel for international shipping.
12         (2) The General Assembly is greatly concerned with the
13     preservation and protection of the Great Lakes and their
14     environmental and economic resources.
15         (3) Illinois ranks seventh in the nation for waterborne
16     shipping, with more than 120,000,000 tons of maritime cargo
17     passing through our ports each year, and the State's Lake
18     Michigan ports provide Illinois manufacturers with access
19     to foreign markets through the Great Lakes St. Lawrence
20     Seaway System.
21         (4) Current federal laws are inadequate to prevent the
22     introduction of aquatic invasive species into domestic
23     waters via ballast water. There is currently no nationally

 

 

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1     accepted standard for the quality of ballast water, nor are
2     there any approved ballast-treatment technologies that are
3     available to ship operators.
4         (5) There is a need for federal regulation of this
5     matter because a patchwork of state and regional
6     regulations would impose a crippling burden on vital
7     shipping concerns and would afford inadequate protection
8     of our important natural resources.
9     (b) In order to protect and preserve our valuable economic
10 and natural resources, it is the purpose of this Act to
11 dedicate resources of the State to accelerate the development
12 and approval of a nationally accepted standard for the quality
13 of ballast water and of ballast-treatment technologies.
 
14     Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
15     "Agency" means the Environmental Protection Agency.
16     "Department" means the Department of Natural Resources.
17     "Great Ships Initiative" means a regional research and
18 development project funded jointly by the Illinois
19 International Port District, other Great Lakes ports, the U.S.
20 Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of
21 Commerce.
 
22     Section 15. Annual reports required. The Agency and the
23 Illinois International Port District shall jointly submit an
24 annual report to the General Assembly. The report must be

 

 

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1 submitted no later than December 1 of each year. The report
2 must:
3         (1) assess the status of the development of a
4     nationally accepted standard for the quality of ballast
5     water;
6         (2) assess the status of any federally approved
7     ballast-treatment technology;
8         (3) provide the status of any federal legislation to
9     establish a ballast water regulatory program; and
10         (4) list all violations of federal ballast
11     regulations, as reported by the U.S. Coast Guard, for those
12     ships visiting Illinois ports.
 
13     Section 20. Technical assistance. The Agency and the
14 Department shall offer technical assistance to the Great Ships
15 Initiative for the purpose of accelerating the development and
16 approval of ballast-treatment technology that is sufficient to
17 protect the waters of the State from aquatic invasive species.
 
18     Section 25. Water sampling and monitoring. The Department
19 shall sample and monitor the Illinois waters of Lake Michigan
20 for new aquatic nuisance species and report its findings
21 annually to the General Assembly.
 
22     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
23 becoming law.