For a decade, Illinois state Sen. Sue Rezin has recognized the technological and economic potential of lithium-ion batteries. Rezin, a Republican who serves in a district that is a major chemical and energy industry hub southwest of Chicago, also recognizes the possible dangers.
In June 2021, a Morris, Illinois, warehouse in her district with roughly 184,000 pounds of lithium batteries caught fire. The blaze forced a three-day evacuation of the city’s residents and a monthslong cleanup and response effort by the state Environmental Protection Agency.
“I saw what a battery fire looked like up close and personal. It’s unlike any fire I’ve ever seen, from the thickness of the smoke to the hours and hours of fire response,” said Rezin, who is proposing legislation that would ban the disposal of lithium-ion batteries in mixed-recycling bins.
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