Sorry Illinois Your Streams Are More Polluted Than I Thought
A while back we edited a presentation and entitled it: Chicagoland: Home of the Most Toxic Creeks in the US? The point was to show that among the regions tested in the US, the western suburbs had some of the highest levels of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) found. It was assumed that was only because not […]
“Friendly” Village, Downers Grove, Now More Eco-Friendly
Forbes listed Downers Grove, IL as one of our nation’s friendliest communities, but the Village of nearly 50,000 in the western suburbs of Chicago is no longer friendly toward coal tar sealer pollution. Tuesday night the Village Council voted to join 13 other local agencies of the DuPage River /Salt Creek Workgroup (DRSCW) to cease […]
New Ban Puts Winnetka on Track Toward a Cleaner Future
Tonight the Village Council of Winnetka stood firm with many of their residents and against heavy lobbying by the coal tar sealer industry. After nearly 2 hours of public comment, they passed a ban of coal tar pavement sealers with a vote of 4 to 1. Winnetka is Illinois’ second community to pass a ban. […]
Illinois Ban Fails…Illinoisans
Late last month the Environmental Committee of the Illinois House of Representatives failed to move the ban of coal tar pavement sealers, HB 4599, forward. With an 8 to 8 vote, the bill was moved to the Rules Committee to most likely die quietly at the end of this session. How can something so simple, […]
Illinois Sealant Industry Claims Mired in Tired Rhetoric
The sealant industry, presumably backed by some influential business and labor organizations, recently came out with a 2-page summary of why they think a coal tar sealant ban is a bad idea in Illinois. Those reasons are, for the most part, desperate retreads of old industry myths mired in the past with little basis in […]
It’s a ‘Fine’ Time for Illinois to Pass Coal Tar Sealant Ban Legislation
Legislative newcomer, Laura Fine, earlier this month introduced legislation to ban coal tar containing pavement products, aka “sealers,” from sale and use in the entire state beginning next year. The legislation, HB 4599, has the backing of the Illinois Sierra Club and others and is based upon the research completed by the DuPage River/Salt Creek […]
Chicagoland: Home of the Most Toxic Creeks in the US?
In a manner of speaking, yes. While there are many chemical and biological measures of stream health, one carcinogenic constituent, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are showing up with higher numbers, over a broader area than anywhere else found in the U.S. The land use draining to these creeks are not factories, waste mounds and brownfields, […]
New Year May Bring Broader Ban Authority for Chicagoland Local Governments and Beyond
A few years ago, Boone, North Carolina seemed poised to pass the first ban of coal tar sealers in that state and the first in the southeastern part of the US. Not only did the community experience a significant fish kill in one of their streams due to the runoff from a freshly applied coal […]
Third Installment of MPCA Coal Tar Sealant Webinars: This Week with a Focus on Local Efforts
Parents and students decorate a coal-tar-free parking lot in Grand Rapids, MI. While many may debate whether the old adage that “all politics is local” is true or not, one cannot argue with the influence that everyday citizens and local decision-makers can have in their own communities with coal tar sealant use and pollution. I […]
Chicago Tribune: Industry Fights Coal Tar Sealant Bans with Exaggerated Studies
The Chicago Tribune last week reported on their investigation of the coal tar industry’s role in opposing sealant restrictions across the country. They found that industry research “falls short” of demonstrating there are no problems with coal tar and that at times “overstated the findings supporting coal tar.”The Tribune reported the temporary success industry has […]