By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – Environmentalists – both inside and outside the Illinois legislature – hope this is the year for the Clean Energy Jobs Act.
In a news release announcing the bill’s reintroduction in the new General Assembly, the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition said CEJA would push Illinois to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 “by drawing billions of dollars in renewable energy investment to Illinois, expanding money-saving efficiency programs, and promoting vehicle electrification.”
During an online news conference Tuesday, Sierra Club Illinois director Jack Darin said, “The good news is we can get to a 100 percent clean energy future and make the investments in the communities that need them most without taxpayer dollar investment. CEJA is all about having our utilities over time shift their investments from the dirty sources of energy that are polluting our communities to cleaner ones – even during our state’s most significant fiscal challenges.”
When asked why the bill has not passed yet, State Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) said, “We are looking forward, not backward,” adding advocates and the legislature – not the utilities – need to lead the discussion.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]
