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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Perchloroethylene (hereinafter referred to as
3 "perc") has been the solvent of choice for commercial clothes
4 cleaning operations since the 1960s; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The use of perc by dry cleaners can expose humans
6 and the environment to perc through releases to soil, water,
7 and air; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Perc has been shown to have a variety of health
9 and safety issues associated with its use, has been classified
10 as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for
11 Research on Cancer and as a potential human carcinogen by the
12 National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, and has
13 been shown by the U.S. EPA to cause other non-cancer health
14 effects; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Studies performed by environmental authorities
16 and others in California, New York, and New Jersey indicate
17 that exposure to perc emissions from dry cleaning operations
18 may result in unacceptable health risks to people living near
19 dry cleaning facilities; and
 
20     WHEREAS, The U.S. EPA has adopted regulations to eliminate
21 the use of perc in dry cleaning facilities located in

 

 

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1 residential buildings by 2020, and the California Air Resources
2 Board has passed rules to eliminate the use of perc at all dry
3 cleaning facilities by 2023; and
 
4     WHEREAS, There is an increasing trend in the detection of
5 perc in community water system wells in Illinois; and
 
6     WHEREAS, 81% of the public health notices issued for
7 volatile organic compounds that exceed Illinois Pollution
8 Control Board groundwater quality standards or Safe Drinking
9 Water Act maximum contaminant levels have been triggered by the
10 detection of perc or its degradation products in community
11 water system wells; and
 
12     WHEREAS, The dry cleaning industry is a highly
13 decentralized sector, with the vast majority of dry cleaners in
14 Illinois being small neighborhood businesses at which cleaning
15 and finishing are performed on the premises; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Many of these drycleaners are increasingly faced
17 with financial liability associated with cleaning up perc
18 contaminated soil and groundwater; and
 
19     WHEREAS, There are a number of alternatives to perc-based
20 dry cleaning that are either emerging or commercially viable
21 that can minimize the impact of commercial clothes cleaning

 

 

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1 facilities on human health and the environment; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Many dry cleaners recognize the inherent
3 liabilities in the use of perc and would like to shift to
4 environmentally friendly and economically competitive cleaning
5 technologies, but these cleaners may be limited in their choice
6 of cleaner technologies due to the time and resources needed to
7 evaluate these technologies and the level of capital investment
8 necessary to update their facilities; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The General Assembly finds it necessary to form a
10 Task Force to study appropriate methods for phasing out the use
11 of perc in dry cleaning operations in Illinois and encouraging
12 the use of environmentally friendly alternatives; therefore,
13 be it
 
14     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16 there is created a Clean Technology Task Force for Commercial
17 Clothes Cleaning to identify barriers to using environmentally
18 friendly alternatives to perc in dry cleaning operations in
19 Illinois, and to study appropriate methods for phasing out the
20 use of perc in dry cleaning operations in Illinois and
21 encouraging the use of cleaner clothes cleaning technologies;
22 and be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the
2 following members:
3         (1) The Director of the Illinois Environmental
4     Protection Agency ("Director"), or his or her
5     representative, who shall serve as chairman of the Task
6     Force;
7         (2) 4 members appointed by the Director to represent
8     the dry cleaning industry, including at least one member
9     who represents a state-wide dry cleaners' organization and
10     2 members who represent regional or major metropolitan dry
11     cleaning associations;
12         (3) One member appointed by the Director to represent
13     the Dry Cleaner Environmental Response Trust Fund;
14         (4) 2 members appointed by the Director who own or
15     operate dry cleaning facilities in Illinois that utilize
16     environmentally friendly cleaning alternatives;
17         (5) One member appointed by the Director to represent
18     community water supply well owners and operators;
19         (6) One member appointed by the Director to represent
20     the Groundwater Advisory Council;
21         (7) One member appointed by the Director to represent
22     local government environmental and public health agencies;
23         (8) One member appointed by the Director to represent
24     the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center; and
25         (9) 2 members appointed by the Director to represent
26     environmental public interest organizations; and be it

 

 

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1     further
 
2     RESOLVED, That the methods studied by the Task Force for
3 encouraging the use of cleaner clothes cleaning technologies in
4 Illinois shall include, but not be limited to, technical
5 training and assistance, demonstration projects and education,
6 solvent usage fees, and financial incentives; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That the Illinois Environmental Protection
8 Agency shall provide staff and support for the Task Force; and
9 be if further
 
10     RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall receive
11 no compensation for serving as members of the Task Force; and
12 be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit a report on its
14 findings to the Governor and the General Assembly by December
15 31, 2010, which may be in the form of proposed legislation.