Full Text of HR0875 100th General Assembly
HR0875 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HR0875 | | LRB100 20983 MST 36629 r |
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Clean, safe, reliable water service is essential | 3 | | to the health and well-being of all
residents of Illinois; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Implemented regulations set in place by the U.S. | 5 | | Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the Safe Drinking | 6 | | Water Act (SOWA) should be followed; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, The events in Flint, Michigan, where thousands of | 8 | | mostly low-income residents
were poisoned by contaminated | 9 | | water, have drawn attention to the harmful consequences of
| 10 | | underinvestment in and slack oversight of water | 11 | | infrastructure; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Lead contamination tends to disproportionately | 13 | | impact communities of color, with
studies having found a | 14 | | correlation between elevated lead poisoning rates and cities | 15 | | with large
African American populations; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, According to the American Society of Civil | 17 | | Engineers (ASCE), U.S. water
infrastructure across the country | 18 | | is rapidly deteriorating, with a significant portion far past | 19 | | its
useful life; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, The ASCE, which assigned the nation's drinking |
| | | HR0875 | - 2 - | LRB100 20983 MST 36629 r |
|
| 1 | | water infrastructure a grade of 'D'
in its most recent | 2 | | Infrastructure Report Card, estimates that $1 trillion in new | 3 | | investment is
needed over the next 25 years to modernize this | 4 | | infrastructure; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, There are over 52,000 community water systems in | 6 | | the U.S., 84% of which
are owned by municipal or county | 7 | | governments; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Many municipalities in Illinois which provide | 9 | | water service to their residents lack the
financial and | 10 | | technical resources needed to effectively maintain their | 11 | | systems and meet critical
environmental and quality compliance | 12 | | requirements; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, These interrelated issues, coupled with the | 14 | | financial struggles facing many local
governments across the | 15 | | state of Illinois, have made it financially impractical for | 16 | | some
municipalities to continue maintaining primary oversight | 17 | | of their water systems; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, In some instances, the sale of a water system by a | 19 | | financially distressed municipal
government can relieve fiscal | 20 | | pressure, spur infrastructure investment, and raise water | 21 | | quality; and |
| | | HR0875 | - 3 - | LRB100 20983 MST 36629 r |
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, Working with private entities in this matter via | 2 | | public-private partnerships can also
allow municipalities to | 3 | | benefit from economies of scale, greater access to capital, and | 4 | | technical expertise; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois should be fully involved and | 6 | | consulted in any process that may
affect the management of | 7 | | their water service; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, The provision of water service by a private entity | 9 | | is subject to strict public utility and
environmental | 10 | | regulation; therefore, be it
| 11 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 12 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 13 | | call on policymakers at every level of state
government to | 14 | | pursue policies that prioritize the expeditious replacement of | 15 | | all remaining lead-based
water infrastructure in Illinois; and | 16 | | be it further | 17 | | RESOLVED, That we declare our support and encourage | 18 | | municipalities
and all other providers of water service to | 19 | | pursue the full range of options for assuring that water
| 20 | | infrastructure in Illinois is as safe, modern, and as | 21 | | accessible as possible; and be it further |
| | | HR0875 | - 4 - | LRB100 20983 MST 36629 r |
|
| 1 | | RESOLVED, That we support plans to provide water in | 2 | | emergency
situations because individuals should have a right to | 3 | | water even under adverse circumstances
and in the face of | 4 | | natural disasters; and be it further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 6 | | delivered to the President of the
United States, the Vice- | 7 | | President of the United States, all members of the U.S. | 8 | | Congress, and
other federal and state officials as appropriate.
|
|