Full Text of SR0779 96th General Assembly
SR0779 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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SR0779 |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The flow of the Chicago River into Lake Michigan | 3 |
| was reversed one hundred years ago to protect the safety of | 4 |
| drinking water for the Chicago region and to facilitate | 5 |
| navigation and commerce through a series of locks and canals; | 6 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, In 2008, the Port of Chicago in the Chicago Area | 8 |
| Waterway System was ranked 6th in the United States for exports | 9 |
| to other countries by the United States Commerce Department; | 10 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, The Chicago region's five biggest exports were | 12 |
| chemicals ($6.1 billion), computers and electronic products | 13 |
| ($5.2 billion), non-electrical machinery ($3.4 billion), | 14 |
| transportation equipment ($3.2 billion), and electrical | 15 |
| equipment, appliances, and components ($1.7 billion); and
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| WHEREAS, A 2007 study commissioned by the Illinois Chamber | 17 |
| of Commerce estimated that $29 billion worth of petroleum, | 18 |
| chemicals, building materials, farm products, coal, and other | 19 |
| products and raw materials travel through the Chicago area | 20 |
| locks and canals annually; and
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| WHEREAS, The continued operation of Chicago's system of |
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| locks and canals are vital to ensure its continued status as | 2 |
| the strategic transportation hub of the Midwest; and
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| WHEREAS, The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) | 4 |
| and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources have enacted | 5 |
| several steps to prevent Asian carp from entering Lake | 6 |
| Michigan, including creating an electronic barrier, eDNA | 7 |
| testing, and a fish kill in December of 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, Litigation has been pursued by Great Lakes states | 9 |
| to order the closure of the locks and canals to try and prevent | 10 |
| Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes; and
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| WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court has rejected the | 12 |
| preliminary injunction to close the Chicago Area Waterway | 13 |
| Systems' locks and canals; and
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| WHEREAS, The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) | 15 |
| has proposed a schedule of lock closures and even a permanent | 16 |
| closure of the locks as one possible solution to the problem of | 17 |
| Asian carp; and
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| WHEREAS, Closing the locks would overwhelm the Chicago | 19 |
| Metropolitan Water Reclamation District tunnel system and | 20 |
| cause massive flooding, affecting more than 3 million people | 21 |
| and 1.4 million structures in Chicago and 51 surrounding |
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| suburbs; and
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| WHEREAS, It is estimated that closing the locks would also | 3 |
| increase shipping costs for the Illinois agricultural | 4 |
| community by more than a half-billion dollars a year; and
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| WHEREAS, At a White House "Carp Summit" of the Great Lakes | 6 |
| states, United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) presented | 7 |
| a plan to prevent Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan, | 8 |
| outlining several scenarios including opening the locks less | 9 |
| frequently, testing, and more electronic barriers; and
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| WHEREAS, The White House is allocating $78.5 million | 11 |
| campaign to prevent the Asian carp from gaining access to the | 12 |
| Great Lakes; the strategy will call for modifying the lock | 13 |
| operations in the Chicago Area Waterway systems; and
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| WHEREAS, Even the temporary interruption of lock traffic | 15 |
| would be absolutely devastating to our local, State, and | 16 |
| national economy; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 18 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United | 19 |
| States Army Corps of Engineers to seek alternatives to the | 20 |
| closure of the Chicago Area Waterway systems of locks and | 21 |
| canals that would not impede commerce.
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