By Mavis Bates
I recently presented a workshop at a youth conference on the climate crisis. One of the handmade posters in the hallway read, “My therapist told me to speak my truth: I’m scared.” Yes, our young people are scared about the future and they want us grown-ups to do something about it. Fortunately, there is something we can do: Pass the Illinois Clean Energy Jobs Act (SB2132/HB3624). This forward-looking bill, called CEJA, for short, will keep Illinois on a path to our clean energy future. We need this bill to make sure that our booming clean energy industry can continue to provide us with wind and solar energy that keeps our electricity bills low while keeping our air quality high and helping to stop climate change.
Due to an even more urgent twist, Illinois needs to pass CEJA during our legislative veto session, which is coming up in just the next few weeks. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has sided with dirty coal power plant operators to try to force Illinois consumers to pay an extra $864 Million for electricity generated from coal and other dirty sources for what is called the “capacity market”, which refers to back-up electricity that is only used at peak demand times. Therefore, to keep Illinois consumers’ costs low, CEJA would authorize the Illinois Power Agency to take over the purchase of our peak capacity needs, saving money, and using more renewable energy.
CEJA provides a detailed plan for protecting our environment and stimulating our green economy. It will promote jobs and economic opportunities by creating training programs and helping new business start-ups, especially in low income communities. It will put Illinois on a path to 100% renewable energy by 2050, by building 40 Million solar panels and 2,500 wind turbines across Illinois. Because energy efficiency is so important, CEJA will continue to move Illinois to reducing our energy demands. In the transportation sector, CEJA will encourage more charging stations for electrical vehicles and make electric vehicles more accessible to low-income areas. CEJA will achieve a carbon-free power-sector by 2030, eliminate this serious source of pollution and climate change and support workers and communities which are economically impacted by this transition away from fossil fuels.
There will be a town hall meeting with State senator Linda Holmes and State representatives Stephanie Kifowit and Barbara Hernandez at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Prisco Community Center in Aurora. We will have more details about our local clean energy economy, energy efficiency savings for you, home solar opportunities, and CEJA. If you can’t come to the town hall meeting please call your State representatives and ask them to support this important bill.
How can we give our children the bright future they deserve? How can we save the consumers of Illinois $864 Million? Pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act now!
Mavis Bates is chairperson of the Sierra Club Valley of the Fox Group, Masters of Science, Sustainable Management, Adjunct Instructor, Waubonsee Community College.