Illinois Community Passes State’s First Outright Coal Tar Sealer Ban
While he might not be showing it in this statue, I am sure the spirit of Lincoln is pleased with the first ban of coal tar by a unit of government in his home state. Several communities in Illinois have government use restrictions, but to my knowledge, the Village of South Barrington (population about 3,700) […]
Chicago Sun-Times: Coal Tar Sealcoat May Be Cancer Time Bomb
A recent article in the Chicago Sun-Times covered an informational meeting led by Cassandra McKinney, stormwater engineer for McHenry County, Illinois. This is the same county where the USGS found some of its highest PAH reading on a residential driveway. The meeting was held in Lake County, which is also in suburban Chicago. Ms. McKinney […]
Illinois Initiates Move to Allow Local Sealant Bans
After robust media and USGS attention, McHenry County government discovered last year that they do not have the constitutional authority to pass a coal tar sealant ban. In May 2011, the Assistant State’s Attorney, Ms. Jamie Rein, said that a written opinion had been developed which denied the County’s authority to pass a local ban. […]
Chicago Area Watershed Group Adds Another Million Citizens Under Government Use Restrictions
**Editor’s Note: See Chicagoland: Home to the Most Toxic Creeks in the US? for an update on this story. In an unprecedented move, a consortium of Chicagoland suburban communities, representing all or part of 39 municipalities, more than 350 square miles and about 1,000,000 citizens, have agree to end the governmental use of coal tar pavement sealants. Organized as part of […]
Chicago Suburb Steers Away From Coal Tar Sealant Use
The Village of Hoffman Estates, Illinois recently opened bids for transportation projects and announced that coal tar sealants would not be used on the 2011 Crack Sealing and Seal Coating Project: As a part of ongoing environmental reviews and recent industry concerns, the Village chose to steer away from the traditional coal tar based seal coating products used in the […]
Great New Resource for Coal Tar Info
Every now again a community comes along to assemble the disparate sources of information about coal tar sealants in one place. It serves the purpose to assist their respective communities in decision making and is a communication tool if any legislative action is taken. The City of Austin, TX did this early on in their […]
Chicago Tribune on CTS: Toxic goop; It might be coating your driveway and tracked into your home
High levels of a toxic chemical in coal tar have been found in the fast-growing McHenry County village of Lake in the Hills. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Good solid article from the Tribune in the heart of coal tar sealant country. Congrats Michael. It is a complex subject and succinctly put comparison of well-known contamination sites […]