* This press release from Turo arrived in my in-box minutes after Gov. Rauner’s veto statement, which claimed he had drafted his amendatory veto “in close coordination with the broader stakeholder community”…
Efforts by car rental giants to slap new taxes on thousands of Illinois residents were dealt a major setback on Tuesday as Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill that was backdoored to legislative approval in the waning days of this year’s spring session.
A bill developed by Enterprise Rent-A-Car would have triple taxed anyone using peer-to-peer networks to share their car. Illinois residents using those networks had no opportunity to provide input before it was quickly passed. Tuesday’s veto will allow them, as well as the companies hosting those services, to lend their voices to the discussion.
“We support strong safety standards and regulations in every state where we operate,” said Michelle Peacock, Turo VP of Government Relations. “Illinois was the only state where we were never given a chance to substantively discuss those regulations before they were rammed through to approval. We appreciate the opportunity to have a seat at the table, just as we’ve had everywhere else.”
In May, just days before the end of the Legislative session, language in an existing bill was gutted and replaced with language that would have created a new 5 percent state tax and upwards of 15 percent in local taxes on anyone sharing their car through a service like Turo – identical to the tax paid by anyone renting a car. However, those sharing their car on Turo already paid a sales tax when they purchased their vehicle – something companies like Enterprise are exempt from, costing the state $199.3 million each year. Additionally, Turo hosts pay taxes on any income generated by sharing their car.
That gut-and-replace amendment came as Turo has rapidly grown in Illinois, with nearly 264,000 residents using the service and more than 7,300 residents sharing their vehicle. The legislation would have stifled that growth, limiting choice for consumers and financially harming those earning an average of $625 per month by sharing their car.
Tensions are likely to play out at a northwest suburban township board meeting Tuesday night, as trustees consider how to move forward after a messy investigation into sexual harassment allegations.
Maine Township Trustee Kim Jones made her allegations against Trustee David Carrabotta public a few months ago. Jones alleges the fellow Republican intentionally touched her inappropriately on three separate occasions in the past year during group photos taken of the township trustees. […]
And in December, local governments got word they’d need to update their sexual harassment policies by mid-January to explicitly outlaw harassment and direct employees where to report it. But some say the problem is that there’s no statewide inspector general for local governments, and there’s no standard, or office, for investigating ethics complaints.
“It shouldn’t be so difficult for someone to file a sexual harassment claim,” state Democratic Sen. Laura Murphy said. “It’s difficult enough for them to come forward with it.”
Murphy is the chief sponsor on a bill that would create an inspector general’s office for local governments. She says the allegations within the Maine Township board highlight exactly why such an office is necessary.
Thoughts?
* More bills…
* ICOY Calls on the General Assembly to Override Rauner’s SB2662 Veto: This task force is needed to examine and develop recommendations on how to improve the contracting relationship and partnership between the state and private nonprofit human service providers so they work effectively and efficiently to improve the well-being of all Illinoisans.
* Legislation aims to make grant process more transparent: Among new requirements introduced in the legislation is grant dollars must be spent or distributed during the fiscal year for which they are appropriated. … [and creates] a blackout period before elections when state officials are not allowed to make grant announcements.
* Rauner signs bill tightening notification requirements after gas leaks: That provision is aimed at preventing a repeat of a 2016 incident in which there was a leak at Peoples Gas’ Manlove Field — an underground natural gas storage facility in Champaign County — which wasn’t quickly reported to residents and authorities. The leak is said to have contaminated private water wells.
* At today’s bill signing to expand the use of our state’s medical marijuana “pilot program” we have Rep. Kelly Cassidy, the mother of marijuana legalization, and Gov. Bruce Rauner, who staunchly opposes legalizing recreational use…
Gov. Rauner to sign SB 336 soon, which creates the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program. It will allow patients to have access to medical cannabis as an alternative to opioids. pic.twitter.com/6ZIDArgAF7
A measure that could dramatically expand access to medical marijuana in Illinois — making it available as an opioid painkiller replacement and easing the application process for all who qualify — is expected to become law on Tuesday.
The measure is a response to the epidemic of overdose deaths from narcotics, which killed almost 2,000 people in the state in 2016 and an estimated 72,000 people nationwide last year. It would allow doctors to authorize medical marijuana for any patient who has or would qualify for a prescription for opioids like OxyContin, Percocet or Vicodin.
But the measure is also noteworthy for removing some of the major restrictions on the medical marijuana program in Illinois.
No longer will any applicants have to be fingerprinted and undergo criminal background checks. And those who complete an online application with a doctor’s authorization will get a provisional registration to buy medical cannabis while they wait for state officials to make a final review of their request.
Kudos. This is an important bill.
* The Pritzker campaign, however, takes us through some Rauner history…
Mid 2018: Rauner refused to take a position on SB 336 and let it sit on his desk for almost two months despite its immediate effective date.
Early 2018: Rauner’s IDPH fought a court ruling requiring Illinois to include chronic pain in medical marijuana, even though a judge called their argument “clearly erroneous.”
Late 2017: One week after unveiling his opioid task force, Rauner announced he would slash funding to a critical behavioral health and substance abuse facility.
Early 2017: Rauner reportedly disbanded the state’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Board in exchange for adding two new conditions to the list of qualifying conditions.
Mid 2016: After a judge ordered the state to add PTSD to the medical marijuana program, Rauner signed legislation to comply after holding out for a year.
Early 2016: Rauner again refused to add eight conditions to the state’s medical marijuana program for the second time in five months. A military veteran told AP, “I’m flabbergasted…I think (Rauner) is intentionally stalling the program. … He’s putting politics before people.”
Late 2015: Rauner vetoed a bill to add a dozen conditions to and extend the state’s medical marijuana program.
Late 2015: Rauner vetoed the Heroin Crisis Act, calling funding for opioid treatment “a very costly mandate.” The legislature overrode Rauner’s veto, allowing police to have access to Narcan, a lifesaving drug that resulted in more than 11,000 overdose reversals since 2010.
“From vetoing the Heroin Crisis Act to stalling the state’s medical marijuana program, Bruce Rauner has been a repeated obstacle to solving our state’s opioid epidemic,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Lives have been on the line while this failed governor has ignored this epidemic for years, and no last-minute photo-op can change that.”
There’s an old saying that goes something like: When a politician changes positions away from you, he’s a flip-flopper. When he changes positions toward you, he’s a statesman.
Today, Rauner’s a statesman.
…Adding… He’s evolving slowly…
Rauner on why he's backing medical marijuana as opioid alternative, a switch from his previous stance; says he has and still is studying the issue. https://t.co/RkLjZhG6bz
Thought you might be interested since they never publicize their own ads…
It’s attached.
According to the same group that Pritzker uses to criticize access to mental health care, the overall ranking from Illinois has steadily improved since 2011. In 2011, Illinois ranked 16th. In 2014, Illinois ranked 15th. Right now, Illinois is ranked 11th in overall mental health care.
There is one thing they left out, though. Pritzker’s new ad accurately references this July, 2017 CNN story…
About 80,000 people in Illinois have lost access to mental health care because of the budget crisis, according to a recent survey by the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois, which represents mental health, substance abuse and youth service providers.
* As you know, Speaker Madigan’s attorneys want to depose Blair Hull as part of their defense against a federal lawsuit filed by Jason Gonzales, Madigan’s 2016 Democratic primary opponent. Hull wants to limit the scope and length of his deposition. Madigan’s lawyers have agreed to some limits (seven hours instead of the two demanded by Hull), but not others. Their argument…
As discussed in Defendants’ Response to Plaintiff’s Motion to Quash, Blair Hull’s involvement in the facts of this case is not minimal: 1) Mr. Hull established and funded a Super PAC “exclusively dedicated to defeating Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan,” which subsequently raised and spent significant sums of money (nearly $1,000,000) to defeat Mr. Madigan in the 2016 primary; 2) Mr. Hull and Illinois United for Change produced campaign materials to support Plaintiff’s 2016 primary campaign; 3) in the weeks prior the primary election, Mr. Hull was in communication about Plaintiff’s campaign with Governor Bruce Rauner through his executive assistant, Holly Griff; 4) Mr. Hull has paid for Plaintiff’s legal bills in this lawsuit ; and 5) Plaintiff has continued to keep Mr. Hull apprised of the status of this lawsuit and has characterized it as an opportunity to find “dirt” on Mr. Madigan.
Wait. Hull was in contact with Rauner?
* I’ve redacted the contact information. Click on the third pic if you have trouble reading it, but the first one is the most important…
—–
—–
So, Hull reached out to Rauner about Gonzales and Ken Dunkin, eh?
I asked the governor’s campaign for a response a couple of hours ago. I’ll let you know if they say anything.
Senate President Cullerton personally lobbied to raise the age to buy tobacco to 21. He says he called Rauner urging him to sign the bill but he vetoed it. Cullerton says he’ll know it’ll be difficult but he will try to rally votes for an override. “This is about saving lives.” pic.twitter.com/mdTHcVBsIa
* Cullerton told reporters that he’d never called the governor about a bill before, but he did so “for the first time ever” on Tobacco 21…
I told him that the real effect of his bill is to stop an 18-year-old from buying cigarettes so that he or she could give it to the 14, 15 and 16-year-olds and that’s why the tobacco lobbyists are so much against the bill. I mentioned that there’s issues with borders like there is with a lot of other bills. What really happens is when we pass a good bill and other states don’t have this law they try to pass it themselves and we help them lead the way. I told him that you have an argument about 18, 19 and 20 year-olds being able to vote and serve in the military but not buy cigarettes, but then I reminded him the real problem is the 18-year-olds buying for the young kids.
He didn’t engage in the conversation with me. He thanked me for calling. I told him if he signed the bill I’d say nice things about him. He kinda laughed at that. Then, he vetoed the bill.
The governor’s office says the two men have a “philosophical difference” on the legislation and Cullerton himself said he’s probably hated by the tobacco industry more than anyone else.
OK, but if the Senate President calls you about a pet issue of his, then you should probably take a minute to engage with him and maybe try to find something else to agree on. Even if Rauner isn’t reelected, a veto session is happening in a few months. Just sayin…
Brendan Kelly’s campaign for Illinois’s 12th Congressional District today released its third television advertisement for broadcast, titled “Jennifer,” in the Paducah media market. The campaign also introduced its first ad, “Faith,” to the St. Louis media market.
Today marks the first time that the campaign is broadcasting ads throughout the 12th Congressional District.
In the St. Louis market, voters seeing “Faith” are learning who Brendan is and his reasons for running. Brendan affirms his commitment to overcoming divisions by rebuilding his home district and restoring faith in Southern Illinois. He also restates his pledge to push for new leadership in BOTH parties.
Further south, “Jennifer” tells the story of Jennifer Herling, who became addicted to prescription opioids after a freak accident at a young age. Through the voice of Jennifer’s mother, Chris, we see the fatal consequences Big Pharma’s choice to be part of problem by putting profits over people, compounded by Congress’s inability to fix the opioid crisis. Voters also learn about Brendan’s record as a prosecutor, and his aggressive action to force Big Pharma companies to take responsibility for their deadly actions.
Chris: Jennifer, she was a straight A student until she got to middle school. I have this angel statue and Jennifer fell back up against it and it put a gash in her back. They prescribed her the Vicodin. I mean she took them the way she was supposed to, but somehow it still grabbed ahold of her. The day that she died, my mom was like, St. Clair County just pulled up. I just remember seeing my oldest daughter come running out on the porch ‘cause I’m telling my mom that she’s gone.
Brendan: It’s the huge flood of money into our politics. Big pharmaceutical companies give money to members of Congress, and Congress lets them continue the cycle of addiction. I was the first Prosecutor in Illinois to fight Big Pharma. We’ve got to hold them accountable.
Chris: Brendan has stepped up to the plate.
Brendan: I’m Brendan Kelly, and I approve this message.
* We’ve discussed much of this stuff before (click here and here for background), but Kristen McQueary’s new column is about the appointment of Helene Miller-Walsh to replace disgraced former Rep. Nick Sauer on the ballot…
Mark Shaw, Lake County GOP chairman and co-chair of the Illinois Republican Party, and Chris Geissler, Barrington Township GOP committeeman, interviewed nine candidates to replace Sauer, according to Shaw. They selected Helene Miller Walsh. She is now the representative of the 51st District and faces Democrat Mary Edly-Allen on the ballot. […]
So when Lake County Republicans announced that his wife secured the seat appointment, it took Democrats about five minutes on her Facebook page to find a series of strongly worded posts too — not the N-word but charged posts on Muslims, immigration and Chicago violence, to name a few. […]
For its part, the Illinois Republican Party shifted questions about her appointment to the “local committee” that made the decision to choose her. That committee was made up of two people. One of them is Shaw, co-chairman of the state party.
No, this is not a hands-off moment for Illinois GOP leadership. This belongs to them. It’s going to be a fiasco.
* So, why would Illinois Republican Party Co-Chairman and Lake County GOP Chairman Mark Shaw appoint Miller-Walsh? There are a lot of reasons, but one is that he may also be a fan of conspiracy theories. Check out this Lake County Republican Party Facebook post…
A day after a competitive video gamer shot and killed two people, wounding 10 others, at a Madden video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, a group of far-right news outlets announced that they had found the Reddit account used by the shooter, who they said used the pseudonym “Ravenchamps.”
But the groups were wrong.
“Ravenchamps” did not belong to the shooter, who the police say was a Baltimore resident named David Katz and who killed himself in the shooting. And the announcement caused considerable trouble for the real person who owned the account. […]
This is not the first time Gateway Pundit has misidentified someone who committed an attack or mass shooting. The site said the Charlottesville car attack was conducted by an “anti-Trump protester” who in reality was hundreds of miles away at the time of the attack. The site also named the wrong person in the Las Vegas mass shooting, and spun an elaborate conspiracy based on an anonymous Twitter post which identified the wrong person in a mass shooting at the airport in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in January 2017.
* And the original GP story’s headline has finally been changed to reflect reality with this little notation at the bottom…
UPDATE: An anonymous Reddit user was mis-identified in an earlier post.
…Adding… The Lake County GOP has removed the Facebook post.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has issued an amendatory veto effectively killing legislation that would have let Lake County voters decide how their chief assessment officer is hired.
The job is an appointed post and has been held by Marty Paulson since 2003. Paulson’s office coordinates property tax assessment activity in Lake County, oversees the work of township assessors and mails annual assessment notices to property owners, among other duties.
Paulson has feuded with some township assessors who say he ignored their reassessments. Paulson and the county have been sued twice by those assessors, but both cases were dismissed.
This spring, the General Assembly passed legislation that would have put a question on the Nov. 6 ballot asking if it should be an elected position.
* The county board chairman has been a staunch foe of the legislation and engineered a board resolution calling on Gov. Rauner to AV the bill to make it apply to all counties with appointed assessors. Rauner complied…
While this legislation promotes the accountability of property tax officials to the taxpayers they serve, it furthers a concerning practice of local carve-outs in state law. What is beneficial to Lake County taxpayers and voters may also be beneficial to citizens across the state, who should get the same opportunity to determine whether an elected county assessor would better serve their communities.
The referendum would’ve been held this November had he signed it into law.
* Rep. Sam Yingling is the bill’s sponsor…
Today, Governor Rauner issued an amendatory veto of SB2544, killing the bill and ignoring thousands of Lake County taxpayers who called him and signed petitions urging him to sign it.
If signed, the bill would have put a question on the ballot in November to let the people decide whether the position of Lake County Chief Assessment Officer, the Lake County Assessor, should be popularly elected by the people. That position is currently appointed by the Chairman of the County Board.
“Lake County homeowners pay some of the highest property taxes in the country, but today Governor Rauner denied voters the power to hold the Lake County Assessor accountable for decisions that impact how much they pay,” continued Yingling. “Appointments can be the ultimate prize in political gamesmanship, and with the Lake County property tax system in crisis, it’s important that the person whose decisions impact how much my constituents pay is accountable to my constituents —not the politically connected. With his Amendatory Veto, Governer Rauner denied the taxpayers of Lake County their right to vote this November on whether to elect the Lake County Assessor.”
“It was wrong when Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor led efforts to get the Lake County Board to thwart our grassroots campaign to increase accountability by opposing this bill in July, and it’s wrong now for Governor Rauner to side with him over us,” said Denise Neufeldt, a homeowner in Carillon North in Grayslake. “All we want is the right to vote to elect the assessor in November. Why is Governor Rauner against increasing accountability in our property tax system?”
Yingling’s measure had bi-partisan super-majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly and was supported by good government advocates, Illinois REALTORS, republicans and democrats on the Lake County Board, the Lake County Township Assessors, and thousands of Lake County residents who made phone calls, signed petitions, and testified at local hearings on the bill.
“The people of Lake County are sick and tired of Governor Rauner ignoring our local concerns,” concluded Yingling. “He ignored our historic flooding last summer, he vetoed additional education funding for our schools, and now he’s denying our right to vote to make our property tax system accountable to us in November. This is just the latest example of Bruce Rauner being an out-of-touch, failed governor who cares more about politics than the people of Lake County.”
* This is smart politics if it can lead to some news coverage and maybe a TV ad or mailer…
FOLLOWING METRA DELAYS, SEAN CASTEN & REP. CHERI BUSTOS MEET TO TALK INFRASTRUCTURE
Sean Casten & Rep. Cheri Bustos Host a Roundtable Discussion with Industry Experts on Infrastructure Needs in Illinois and the 6th Congressional District
TODAY, August 28, 2018 - 6th District Congressional Candidate Sean Casten and Congresswoman Cheri Bustos will lead a discussion on investing in Illinois and the 6th District’s infrastructure. They will be joined by leaders from the public transit, labor, and other transportation industry experts.
Following delays and overcrowding that plagued Metra’s commuter network Monday, today’s discussion takes on a sense of urgency.
Cheri Bustos serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, Subcommittee on Aviation, and as the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Co-Chair.
WHO: Sean Casten; 6th District Congressional Candidate; Cheri Bustos, Congresswoman 17th District; Jack Franks, McHenry County Chairman; Steve Schlickman, Former Exec. Director of the Regional Transportation Authority; Kristi Lafleur, Former Exec. Director of the IL Tollway; Bob Guy, Legislative Director SMART Transportation Division; Debbie Halvorson, Owner American Eagle Logistics & Former Member of Congress.
WHAT: Roundtable discussion on investing in infrastructure in Illinois and the 6th Congressional District.
WHEN: TODAY, Tuesday, August 28, 2018
12:45 to 1:45pm CT
WHERE: SMART Headquarters
205 Alexandra Way, Carol Stream, IL 60188
This may have been planned in advance and they just got “lucky” with the timing, but it’s something that directly impacts the daily lives of thousands of Illinoisans. More officeholders and candidates ought to be weighing in about this stuff.
* CBS 2: Commuter Gridlock At Union Station As Signal Problems Hit Metra Trains
* Daily Herald: Metra expected to be back to normal Tuesday after Monday meltdown: “The conditions were a madhouse, to put it extremly lightly,” BNSF rider David Keating of Aurora said. “I enter Union Station in the evenings through the Madison Street entrance, and once I got into the actual station, it was a mob scene right away.
* E-mail from a longtime reader…
Was on the train that started the problem tonight.
We were told we went through a red signal (the train was still in Union enough that we had three cars on the platform).
They said they needed to get a replacement crew, and a bunch of better dressed folks showed up including one with a measuring wheel.
At various times they said it would be 10-15 minutes and we would be rolling. They also tweeted that we would be departing shortly, one hour after departure they canceled the train.
I eventually got off and am taking an uber home. […]
Yeah Metra has funding issues but to be blunt it seems like they have internalized it and it is now their excuse for everything.
Also for what it is worth, that would have been an Amtrak switch, not a Metra or BNSF switch.
If it hasn’t already, a flier will soon be arriving in the mailboxes of many of Illinois’ approximately 400,000 public school teachers, state employees and municipal workers (including police officers and firefighters) informing them that their “legal rights as a government employee have changed.” […]
The flier was sent by the Illinois Policy Institute, a self-described free-market think tank with links to billionaires like Dick Uihlein, who are bankrolling campaigns for conservative candidates in Illinois and elsewhere.
“We want to be a resource,” IPI spokesman Eric Kohn said. “About what Janus means, what was decided in the case. What their rights are – their constitutional rights were withheld from them for 40-some years. Now that they’ve been restored, we want to make sure they have all of the information that they need to make the best choice for themselves about whether or not they want to be a part of the union, whether they want to pay money to a union and support a union.” […]
“When you look at who funds IPI, it’s definitely about politics. Gov. Bruce Rauner gives them money. You can see that Dick Uihlein, who is a big conservative billionaire investor, gives them money as well. This is about privatizing public education and our members know that,” said Illinois Education Association spokeswoman Bridget Shanahan. “If they can take away our members voices, our teachers, our education support staff – if they can silence them and the voice they use to advocate for their students, then they are one step closer to privatizing education.”
Shanahan said the IPI flier is “misinformation” because of a section headlined “member money spent on politics” when in fact legally member dues cannot be spent on political activities.
Do you know where your news is coming from? Illinois' has a massive news propaganda machine at work. The groups behind that article you're reading, newscast you're watching or radio show you're listening to can be alarming. Help us spread the word.
*** UPDATE *** From Mailee Smith, staff attorney and labor expert for the Illinois Policy Institute…
“What we’ve seen since the Supreme Court ruled that forced union fees are unconstitutional is that workers are being bombarded with information. We are a resource to break down what the ruling truly means.
“Hundreds of workers across Illinois have already chosen to leave the unions at their workplace. We hear from folks all over the state who are grateful to be able to choose their own path. Meanwhile, dozens are reaching out to us for clarity about the ruling and how it affects them. Downstate, a ‘fair share’ payer was told by her union president that she was not allowed to opt out; in another instance, a union told their members they needed to opt out together as a group. Both of these are violations of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“We support our state and local workers — including teachers, police officers and government employees — and believe they deserve to have all of the information on the choices they have now, as well as how to exercise those options, available to them.”
Today, the Rauner campaign is launching a new TV ad titled “Moby Dick.”
The ad features Ron Wilson, a Vietnam veteran and proud Illinoisan, talking about the Madigan-Pritzker tax hike agenda. In the ad, Ron says, “Madigan’s been in since Moby Dick was a minnow. 47 years, he hasn’t fixed it.”
Ron, like many other Illinoisans, knows that giving Madigan total control by electing JB Pritzker means higher taxes and more corruption.
A friend suggested to me this morning that the “Moby Dick” thing kinda works in this case. Bruce Rauner is Captain Ahab and Madigan is his great white whale. But the book didn’t end too well for the Captain, she reminded me.
Truth is, Illinois is in trouble. It didn’t get here in just a decade. It didn’t get here in two decades. Madigan’s been in since Moby Dick was a minnow. 47 years, he hasn’t fixed it. And he’s got JB Pritzker in there. What makes you think one of his lackeys is going to change it. They want to tax and then spend more. He’s not going to hit you with just one tax. He’s going to hit you with two or three. It’s just not going to work. It will not work.
JB Pritzker and Mike Madigan. Higher Taxes. More Corruption.
…Adding… Four years ago, the Rauner campaign billed Ron Wilson as a former AFSCME local president who said in the spot of Gov. Pat Quinn: “Don’t attack Bruce, tell me what you got done”…
Bruce Rauner's campaign just released an ad featuring Ron Wilson, who also appeared in a commercial for Rauner's 2014 campaign.
— Illinois Working Together (@IllinoisWorking) August 28, 2018
…Adding… DGA…
Today, Governor Bruce Rauner launched a new ad that only served to remind voters of how little he’s accomplished in four years as Governor. The newest ad features Ron Wilson, who four years ago called out Rauner’s opponent for his negative ads and challenged him to “tell me what you got done. I see zero.”
Four years later, Rauner is using Wilson to attack his opponent instead of telling voters what he’s gotten done.
“Bruce Rauner has zero positive things to say about his failed record in office,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “If anything, Rauner’s failed leadership negatively affected Illinois families as his two-year budget crisis added billions of dollars of debt and slowed job creation in the state.”
“DuPage cancer risk linked to Rauner” has to rank right up there as one of the worst headlines the guy has ever received.
* The online story’s hed is less harsh, but still not great: “High cancer risk in southeast DuPage County linked to company co-owned by Rauner’s former firm.” From the piece…
Two low-slung industrial buildings, tucked behind a Target store in west suburban Willowbrook, are about as nondescript as they come. For years, they have been home to Sterigenics International, a company that has quietly gone about its business of fumigating medical instruments, pharmaceutical drugs and food to kill bacteria and pests.
But a new federal study is putting a bright spotlight on the company, finding that people living nearby face some the nation’s highest cancer risks from toxic air pollution.
A gas used by the company, ethylene oxide, is far more dangerous than previously thought, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In one census tract near the plant, the EPA estimates the risk of cancer is more than nine times the national average.
Another federal agency concluded the cancer risks could be significantly higher.
Federal officials began investigating Sterigenics last year after surrounding communities popped out on a national map of health hazards from breathing toxic chemicals.
You have to scroll six paragraphs down to find the first mention of the governor’s former firm.
* However, this is from the Willowbrook Village website…
The emissions of ethylene oxide from the Sterigenics International, Inc. facility in Willowbrook, IL are not an immediate threat to public health and are not considered to be an emergency situation. ATSDR recommended to U.S. EPA that actions be taken to reduce emissions of ethylene oxide from this facility to protect the public from long-term exposures that could harm their health. […]
The highest measured levels of ethylene oxide in those areas were about 1,000 times lower than levels associated with cancer risks in scientific studies of workers with industrial exposure to EtO.
Emphasis was in the original.
…Adding… Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove)…
“The residents of Willowbrook and I have deep concerns, and many questions, about the recently released toxicity report from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) regarding the air quality in our community. The health and well-being of our residents is my number one concern and priority. Therefore, I have demanded that Sterigenics and government agencies involved in this matter attend the public forum being held Wednesday night so we can have all our questions answered. I am pleased all parties have agreed to attend, and I would encourage residents with questions to attend as well. It is vital that we have all the information available so we can best mitigate this issue in order to reduce any long-term impact on our community. We cannot delay, we must act now.”
*** UPDATE *** The governor was asked about the story today…
.@govrauner on @scribeguy story of chemical used by a suburban company posing heighted risk: the federal government created a scare, cautions "this is not a public health crisis," we will work to monitor and manage risk https://t.co/u9GoqYpj7T
