File #: 18-4528    Version: 1 Name: Foxconn Resolution
Type: Resolution Status: Approved
File created: 6/25/2018 In control: Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee
On agenda: 6/27/2018 Final action: 7/25/2018
Title: PROPOSED RESOLUTION A RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE REDUCTION OF AIR AND WATER POLLUTION STANDARDS IN WISCONSIN FOR THE PROPOSED FOXCONN DEVELOPMENT WHEREAS, Foxconn Technology Group ("Foxconn") is a manufacturer of computer, communication and electronics; and WHEREAS, Foxconn is constructing a fabrication plant in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin to manufacture LCD glass panels. Mount Pleasant is in Racine County, Wisconsin; and WHEREAS, the proposed plant is sited at the headwaters of the Des Plaines River and is located approximately 50 miles from the border of Cook County; and WHEREAS, Cook County shares the Des Plaines Watershed Region, and our water and air resources are all interconnected; and WHEREAS, the State of Wisconsin has passed legislation that waives environmental regulations for the Foxconn plant; WHEREAS, the legislation allows Foxconn to fill 26 acres of wetlands with dredged materials without an Environmental Impact Study or input from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; an...
Sponsors: LARRY SUFFREDIN, RICHARD R. BOYKIN, JERRY BUTLER, JOHN A. FRITCHEY, LUIS ARROYO JR, JOHN P. DALEY, DENNIS DEER, BRIDGET GAINER, JESÚS G. GARCÍA, GREGG GOSLIN, EDWARD M. MOODY, STANLEY MOORE, SEAN M. MORRISON, TIMOTHY O. SCHNEIDER, PETER N. SILVESTRI, DEBORAH SIMS, JEFFREY R. TOBOLSKI

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PROPOSED RESOLUTION

 

A RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE REDUCTION OF AIR AND WATER POLLUTION STANDARDS IN WISCONSIN FOR THE PROPOSED FOXCONN DEVELOPMENT

 

WHEREAS, Foxconn Technology Group (“Foxconn”) is a manufacturer of computer, communication and electronics; and

 

WHEREAS, Foxconn is constructing a fabrication plant in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin to manufacture LCD glass panels. Mount Pleasant is in Racine County, Wisconsin; and

 

WHEREAS, the proposed plant is sited at the headwaters of the Des Plaines River and is located approximately 50 miles from the border of Cook County; and

 

WHEREAS, Cook County shares the Des Plaines Watershed Region, and our water and air resources are all interconnected; and

 

WHEREAS, the State of Wisconsin has passed legislation that waives environmental regulations for the Foxconn plant;

 

WHEREAS, the legislation allows Foxconn to fill 26 acres of wetlands with dredged materials without an Environmental Impact Study or input from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and

 

WHEREAS, the United States Environmental Protection Agency exempted Racine County, Wisconsin from air quality requirements for ozone, allowing Foxconn to avoid having to install stringent pollution control equipment; and

 

WHEREAS, the Foxconn plant will divert approximately 7 million gallons of water from Lake Michigan a day; and

 

WHEREAS, the greatest natural resource Cook County has is Lake Michigan and the proposed plant will adversely affect that resources; and

 

WHEREAS, there has been no stormwater management plan for the proposed plant, even though the plant will encompass thousands of acres of farmland; and

 

WHEREAS, the Des Plaines River has had significant flooding and removing permeable land at the headwaters of the River will likely increase the downstream flood risk; and

 

WHEREAS, without a proper study of all potential environmental impacts of the plant, it is unknown if there will be adverse effects to the environment and population of Cook County

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County call on the State of Wisconsin and the United States Environmental Protection Agency to require the Foxconn Development to comply with all applicable environmental regulations in the construction and operation of its proposed plant at Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County urges the State of Wisconsin and the United States Environmental Protection Agency to uniformly apply and enforce all applicable regulations and laws as written without any exemptions, waivers or variances to ensure negative impacts are not imposed on the residents of downstream Cook County;

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,  that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County supports the Illinois Attorney General, Illinois General Assembly and Illinois agencies in taking whatever actions possible to protect Cook County and the State of Illinois against the loss of water resources, potential flooding, and other ecological impacts from this development; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution shall be provided to the Governor of Wisconsin, the Director of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Governor of Illinois, the Illinois Attorney General, the Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Director of Region 5 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

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