May 17, 2021
Dear editor;
This Spring, the Illinois Legislature is considering landmark legislation called the “Clean Energy Jobs Act”. For those of us who have been waiting nearly a lifetime to see meaningful action on climate change, it is our opportunity to advocate for a bill that will promote a real transformation. The League of Women Voters of Illinois supports passage of CEJA and so does the League of Women Voters Aurora Area.
What does CEJA do? It invests in clean energy and job creation; it creates jobs through an Energy Community Reinvestment Fund to support displaced workers; it creates Clean Energy Empowerment Zones to support communities hurt by abrupt power plant closures; it builds wealth in under-represented communities through workforce hubs; it supports locally-based plans to drive investment in energy, transportation, workforce and environmental needs; it expands access to electric vehicle charging stations; and it commits Illinois to 100% renewable energy by 2050.
CEJA was developed through a collaborative effort among environmental groups, labor groups, health-care professionals, environmental justice champions, businesses, community leaders, consumer advocates, and faith-based organizations from across the State.
This aggressive goal is possible; we can do it if we work together, and CEJA is our vehicle. Illinois can be in the vanguard toward a new, clean economy. Join us by contacting our legislators in Springfield while they prepare to vote on this critical legislation.
Find your legislators’ contact information here: salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5950/getLocal4.jsp.
Deborah Fisher, Aurora, League of Women Voters Aurora Area