SUBSTITUTE ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, Owners and operators of facilities engaged in coke & coal bulk material uses in Chicago have cited studies they claim demonstrate that petroleum coke ("petcoke") from such facilities does not migrate into the surrounding areas; and
WHEREAS, Experts retained by the City conducted a study using the most advanced methods available to evaluate dust samples collected in residential neighborhoods surrounding coke & coal bulk material use facilities, and found evidence of petcoke; and
WHEREAS, The City's retained experts determined that the sampling methods utilized by coke & coal bulk material use facilities to demonstrate the absence of petcoke in surrounding neighborhoods are flawed, because such sampling is unlikely to detect the Substance due to the many years of aerial deposition required before petcoke accumulates in concentrations detectable using that methodology; and
WHEREAS, The City's retained experts identified gaps in the air monitoring programs implemented by coke & coal bulk material use facilities to measure the potential impact of fugitive dust on private residences located nearby; and
WHEREAS, Migration of dust from petcoke, coke, and coal uses negatively impacts nearby residents' quality of life, subjecting them to severe inconvenience and unpleasantness by blackening homes and vehicles, and impairing their enjoyment of their properties and their ability to utilize outdoor spaces; and
WHEREAS, In addition to its impact on nearby residents' quality of life, migration of dust from petcoke, coke, and coal uses reduces the value of those residents' properties and inhibits economic development in their neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, Each month, an average of at least 348,292 tons - the equivalent of 17,414 truckloads of petcoke, coal, and coke - enters the City, bound for open-air facilities located within a range of 280 to 405 feet from residential neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, Owners and operators of coke & coal bulk material us...
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