Letter to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich

URGENT---Letter to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich


Everyone should read this dynamic, factual, and straightforward letter (and supplemental documents) individually researched and written by a Supporter of the Breathe Healthy Air Coalition.

Here are excerpts from the letter presented to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.......

RE: Illinois State Implementation Plan for Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5): Proposal to Include a Ban on Residential Open Burning

"As the rest of the country is “Going Green”, the residents of Illinois continue to pollute the air with fine particulate matter PM2.5 (1-5), ozone precursors (3-8), carcinogens (3-5,8), and greenhouse gases (3,6,8) by burning leaves, yard waste, and recreational campfires during the spring, summer, and fall (Figure 1). Unfortunately, these residential burning practices are legal, and encouraged in most of Illinois, a state that is home to twelve non-attainment counties for two of the most hazardous EPA criteria pollutants: fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (9) and ozone (10).

Proposal: Include an immediate statewide ban on residential open burning (recreational campfires, leaf and yard waste burning) in the PM2.5 State Implementation Plan (SIP) that is due to the U.S. EPA in April 2008 (23). The following twelve (12) counties have been designated by the EPA as non-attainment areas for PM2.5: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Will, McHenry, Kendall, Grundy, Madison, Monroe, St. Claire, and Randolph.

Governor Blagojevich, please take action to include a ban on residential open burning (leaves, yard waste and recreational campfires) in the Illinois State Implementation Plan (SIP) for PM2.5 due to the U.S. EPA in April 2008. Such a ban would protect Illinois residents and the environment from the detrimental and lethal effects of breathing the toxic smoke (smoke that contains the same carcinogens and toxic substances as tobacco smoke) from recreational campfires, and leaf burning that occur right next-door. "

A Lake County, Illinois Resident

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