HR0899 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0899 LRB098 20523 GRL 56603 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Calumet region's first steel mill began operating in 1875 and for many decades prospered the community under the banner of International Harvester's mighty Wisconsin Steel Works, which crafted steel moldings for heavy vehicles that provided a strong and reliable economic engine for the national economy; and

WHEREAS, Wisconsin Steel Works ran powerful and steady for more than a century until the decline of the domestic steel market in the early 1980s; and

WHEREAS, The mill operated in an era that was unaware of environmental impacts on the land; and

WHEREAS, The later-found burden of contamination prevented redevelopment of the vast swath of land set in the heart of southeast Chicago's South Deering community; and

WHEREAS, Navistar, Inc. (formerly International Harvester) pursued and entered into a 1996 agreement with the United States Department of Commerce to assume corporate responsibility for the comprehensive remediation of the site under the guidance of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's Site Remediation Program; and

WHEREAS, Navistar's environmental project team conducted multiple years of environmental testing, analysis, assessment, planning, and implementation in support of the comprehensive remedial action; and

WHEREAS, On December 20, 2013, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency granted the 13th and final No Further Remediation letter for the respective tracts of the former Wisconsin Steel Works site; and

WHEREAS, The remediated site has been sold for redevelopment and now hosts multiple businesses that newly contribute to the economic prosperity of southeast Chicago; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize Navistar, Inc. for its initiative in assuming responsibility for the site environmental remediation project; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend Navistar and its project team - environmental consultant ARCADIS and environmental communications specialist EnviroCom - for steadfast commitment, engineering excellence, and well-attuned stakeholder engagement which resulted in the remarkable success of the project; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend the staff of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Site Remediation Program for outstanding civil service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we state our belief that the environmental cleanup of the Former Wisconsin Steel Works site exemplifies a high benchmark in Illinois for the collaboration of corporate citizenship, federal guidance, State programming, city interaction, applied technical excellence, and fully-connected community relations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we state our belief that the environmental remediation project offers not only a fitting epilogue for the once mighty Wisconsin Steel Works, but, in great measure, presents the hope and promise of a bright future for the southeast Chicago community that lives to thrive again.