DuPage Greens Oppose Proposed Navistar Facility
November 24, 2009
The DuPage County Green Party is speaking out against the proposed Navistar heavy industrial diesel engine testing complex to be built in Lisle, IL. The group has sent out letters to DuPage County Board Members and Forest Preserve Commissioners detailing a number of health, environmental and public policy concerns with the proposed facility.
Plans for the 335,000 square foot Navistar heavy industrial diesel engine testing facility include the storage of 162,000 gallons of fuel on the site of the former Lucent Technologies building. Diesel engines will be tested 24-hours a day, likely resulting in significant emissions into the nearby air, soil and water.
The plan includes the sale of three acres of Forest Preserve property to Navistar. The land also lies near homes and a school for children with autism.
“Residents should fully understand the impact this facility will have on their community,” said William Edgar, co-chair of the DuPage County Green Party. “The plant is about the size of two IKEA stores, and will be testing engines 24 hours a day, every day of the year. There are emissions concerns, noise concerns, traffic concerns. This proposed facility does not fit with the surrounding community.”
“The Navistar plan will clear-cut mature trees on the Lucent Technologies campus right next to the Danada Forest Preserve and will result in the loss of Forest Preserve property to an industrial polluter,” explained Bob Mueller, Green Party candidate for State Representative, 47th district. “This puts the health of our air, soil and water, and everyone who lives nearby, at risk.”
The letter also asks Cook County Board members to recover $1.5 million in corporate welfare paid by DuPage County and Lisle taxpayers to Navistar to purchase the property.
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