Illinois lawmakers and environmentalists are still pushing to burst the bubble on balloon releases in the state.
House Bill 0418 aims to amend the Environmental Protection Act, reading that “ no person shall knowingly release or cause or organize the release of balloons into the air.” Exceptions include those used by a higher education institution or by a government agency “for bona fide scientific or meteorological purposes. The balloons can also be released — and remain — indoors instead, per the bill. Anyone in violation is subject to a civil penalty of $500 per offense. If passed, it’ll go into effect January 1, 2022.
The Illinois House passed the bill and State Representative Sam Yingling hopes the bill will pass the Senate this fall, he recently told CBS Local. He told the station: “There’s been large power outages to thousands of customers as result of these balloon launches getting tangled in high tension power lines.”
Yingling also explained to The Pantagraph earlier this year that he hopes to curb “organized release of large quantities of these balloons,” because of “significant ecological impacts” and “significant infrastructure impact” after the balloons float back down. “Not only are they dangerous for our habitat but they also complicate our storm sewer systems and our water systems.”
Find more info about House Bill 0418 here.