CLERK’S
OFFiCE
DEC042000
SlATE
OF iWNoIs
~olIuti~~
Controj
Board
November 28, 2000
Ms. Dorothy Gunn
Clerk of the Board
Illinois Pollution Control Board
100
W. Randolph St.
Suite 11-500
-
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Re:
Public Comment re R01-13
Dear Ms. Gunn:
The Illinois Pollution Control Board should adopt strong rules to prevent degradation of
Illinois’ rivers, lakes andstreams.
New or increased pollution should not be allowed in any water
unless it has been shown that it
will not hurt aquatic life.
Also, new or increased pollution should not be allowed in any Illinois water unless it has
been shown that
it is really necessary to better the lives of our citizens.
This means that all
reasonable alternatives to allowing the new pollution should be considered carefully.
Additionally, some Illinois waters should be protected from all new pollution entirely.
Citizens and citizen groups should be allowed to petition to havewaters designated as Outstanding
Resource Waters and protected from pollution.
Such petitions should not be tied up in a lot of
unnecessary red tape and citizens should not be expected to show the economic impacts ofthe
designation.
Developers andother businesses can be counted on to complain ifthey think an
Outstanding Resource Water designation will cost them money. Let it be their responsibility to
show what benefits they bring by impacting
any waters in this state.
As avolunteer for Citizens for Conservation andan Associate Board Member of the North
CookCounty
Soiland Water Conservation District, I work with many who gallantly try and work
with the weak laws protecting our planet’s water. It is a struggle to protect the waters of my
community against the unchecked sprawl allowed. Economics is not what we should base our
protection on. The big picture needs to be the vision to strengthen our protection laws.
The educational programs I voluntarily run for
6th,
7th
and 8~”
graders help to create new
conscientious stewards. Please strengthen protection of the waters until they grow up to right
additional
wrongs. It is my hope this generation will look beyond the dollar andrecognize the
footprints they leave.
Sincereiyy
G~en
Grant