Joliet warehouse proposal prompts new measure targeting pollution

[00:00:00]Data from the Environmental Defense Fund shows one in four people here in the state of Illinois lives within a half mile of a warehouse and more being built every day. The latest agreement comes from Northern Builders. They have plans for a 1.2 million square foot facility in Joliet.

[00:00:17]>> A lot of people have been pushing against that. We know that and this means more trucks on the road and also more emissions. State Senator Rachel Ventura has introduced a new measure to protect neighborhoods from this kind of pollution. She's joining us now. Thank you so much for your time.

[00:00:33]>> Thanks for having me.

[00:00:34]>> Talk about, you know, what your fear here is, especially in a place like Joliet where this hasn't happened yet. I do know they have some warehouses and things like that, but kind of removed from neighborhoods. What's your fear if this actually shows up there?

[00:00:49]>> Yeah, so we have the largest inland port in our district and we have a lot of air pollution already from some of the trucks moving products around our state and our nation. And so the more warehousing that we're building here, we see increased air pollution and we've had increased asthma rates year to year.

[00:01:07]So we need to make sure that this industry is coming with solutions and not just a problem. So while they are not the ones who are direct The warehouses that directly putting off the air pollution, they are attracting the trucks that are putting off. So I filed a bill for indirect pollution sources that they'll be held accountable for some of that and asking them to mitigate air pollution with things like filters, EV trucks, as well as a number of other factors like nature-based solutions so that they can be part of the solution and not just a problem.

[00:01:41]>> I'm glad that you went into, okay, and here's what you can do, not just, okay, you figure it out. Here's what you can do. I was shocked by this statistic, Senator. In Cook County and the surrounding surrounding collar counties, including Will County, emissions from those heavy-duty trucks account for 22% of nitrogen dioxide pollution, but more than that contribute to more than 1,300 premature deaths each year. That is startling.

[00:02:05]>> Yeah, so some of the the pollution, the smaller the particles, the the further it can get down into the lungs and the bronchioles. So, things like diesel particulate matter, especially, can really get down into those lungs. And that comes from some of our trucks. So, asthma is no joke. And as we're experiencing right now, air pollution is a real problem. And we want to make sure that whether it's wildfires or it's truck traffic, that we're making sure we have clean air for our residents.

[00:02:31]>> So, we know that there is a group that's kind of been monitoring what's going on here specifically in Will County. And they say that Northpoint, that proposal could bring as many as 16,000 additional diesel trucks a day to Will County.

[00:02:45]>> 16,000?

[00:02:46]>> 16,000. Which we know, if you've ever traveled to Will County, through Will County on the expressway to Will County, on the on some of the streets in Will County, there are trucks all over the place. Um, has there been any conversation with them in specifics about, you know, trying to figure out, maybe like you said, have some EV trucks available, if that's even possible for what they do?

[00:03:08]>> Yeah, so our residents have pushed back heavily against this development that has been trying to come here for about 10 years now.

[00:03:15]There's been lots of conversations.

[00:03:17]Everything from making sure they're better stewards of their environment to trying to move towards EV trucks both on their property and long haulers coming to their property. As this technology emerges, we're going to continue those conversations. But regardless of whether that one company wants to help out or not, we want to make sure that our state is prepared to make sure every long hauler in the area, if they are an increase in density and creating this air pollution, that they need to be part of the solution. So, we're going to keep pushing this bill statewide, not just for Illinois or one company.

[00:03:52]>> Yeah, something uh very interesting that none of us probably think about that I learned about EVs is they're so much heavier than typical cars. Typical cars create um pollution from the rubber of their tires, but EV vehicles actually create more because they're so heavy, which you know, might be a problem down the road as we get more of them. You know, the question here is and this is interesting, Senator. Do you think data centers are replacing warehouses as the ultimate villain for people living in the suburbs? Cuz it's like no matter who you talk to, somebody's fighting against a warehouse or a data center. Which one would you prefer as a next-door neighbor?

[00:04:24]>> So, I would say that change is the largest villain in any of our communities. Um that's hard to swallow, but yeah, the data centers are real problem right now because they increase our energy bills. They also use up our water and in Joliet, our water is a a a scarce a commodity right now as we are trying to build a new pipeline to the Lake Michigan. So, I think that again, having good stewards, but honestly, people are very concerned about land changes around them. We are on the cusp of farmland to urban land, and so we see a lot of growth here. Um personally, I like uh farmland and solar land, um solar farms on that land. So, you know, I'll keep pushing for good stewardship, but the data centers and warehouses have continued to create uh problems in the area and we need to create solutions now that they're here.

[00:05:13]>> I want to go back to NorthPoint, and I know there has been pushback on a data center coming out there as well. Uh have those companies moved forward still?

[00:05:23]>> The data center is also being sued currently, so that's in litigation. Um NorthPoint is still in litigation as well. So, as the courts work through that, um advocates who don't want them here continue to fight, and obviously, the investors who want these uh projects here continue to fight.

[00:05:39]>> I'm sure though that that there are businesses that will bring a lot of jobs to your district, so that's certainly something to weigh. And what have those uh companies said in response to this legislation proposal? Have they been supportive of it and said, "Look, we'll work with you?"

[00:05:54]>> So, I would say that outside of some of the building jobs, which are fantastic jobs, a lot of the jobs that operate both the data center and the warehouses are not good jobs. They don't pay well, they use temp labor, they don't pay benefits. So, it becomes an ongoing problem as well. But, I would say we've had some conversations with the manufacturers on the bill. There have been some concerns about how it will impact them. We continue negotiations.

[00:06:20]There was no redlining to the bill last year as we had first introduced it and wanted to get all the stakeholders to the table. Of the biggest concern came from our truckers wanting to know are they going to have to change out their truck technology. And there are a number of things in the bill besides EV transportation that we've allowed companies to choose to help mitigate air pollutions like buying filters in daycares and schools around the area, making sure that there's a variance between them and neighborhoods, you know, a larger buffer. So, we've added additional things besides EVs. So, there has been ongoing conversation and like I said, as more technology hits the roadways, we're excited to see some of these semi trucks with different technology other than the combustion engine.

[00:07:04]>> Okay, that makes sense because for some companies, depending on the size, you may not be able to, you know, go out and buy a fleet of EV, you know, vehicles for your company. I want to go back to this actual legislation.

[00:07:15]Any idea on the next steps and if you've had any pushback at all from anyone and when you would like for it to hopefully become law?

[00:07:25]>> So, we are going to refile this in January. We continue our conversations with our trucker associations as well as the Lorry Manufacturers Associations. We would like their support on this. Right now, we're not there, but we will continue this conversation and I would love to see this pass next May and become law by next summer.

[00:07:42]>> All right. Senator, thank you so much for your time.

[00:07:45]>> Thank you.