How do your legislators rate on the environment?

L-R - Linda Sullivan, Frank Orto,
Rep. Terra Costa Howard, Jeff Gahris

By Linda Sullivan

Last fall some 50 River Prairie Group volunteers turned out to canvass and phone bank for candidates we hoped would be environmental heroes. We will take some credit for a bumper crop of freshmen legislators elected in DuPage!   

But have those candidates fulfilled our hopes that they would support the environment? The answer is yes!  For instance, a law that prevented the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency from dealing with climate change, somewhat confusingly called the Kyoto Protocol Law, was quickly repealed with all of our endorsed candidates voting for repeal.  Freshman Sen. Laura Ellman (D-21), who we worked especially hard for, introduced and was the chief sponsor of that bill. She also hosted a Clean Energy Town Hall along with Rep. Grant Wehrli (R-41), a refreshing bipartisan effort! 

To the Sierra Club, the real measure of environmental heroes is whether they cosponsor Sierra Club’s four priority bills. Cosponsoring means that a legislator puts their name on a bill as a sponsor long before the bill comes up for a vote. Most bills get negotiated with opponents. The more cosponsors a bill has, the more likely we are to get a good bill.

Legislators hesitate to cosponsor bills because the minute their name appears on a bill, well-paid lobbyists from industry come into their office, sometimes more than once a day, arguing with them to take their name off the bill. It’s a problem most legislators wish to avoid.

One of our freshmen, Rep Terra Costa Howard (D-48), has cosponsored all four bills, almost unheard of!

So, what are the Sierra Club’s priority bills and who are the heroes from the RPG area who have cosponsored them?

Our most important bill is the Clean Energy Jobs Act. This bill will ramp up renewable energy to 100 percent carbon free by 2030 and 100 percent renewable by 2050. It has deep social justice components, such as job training for solar and wind farm installation for people returning from the prison system and graduates of foster care.

In the Senate, CEJA is SB2132. Sen. Ellman, from the Naperville/Warrenville area, has cosponsored it. 

In the House, CEJA is HB3624. The following representatives have cosponsored: Representatives Terra Costa Howard (D-48), Deb Conroy (D-46), Anne Stava Murray (D-81), Karina Villa (D-49), Grant Wehrli (R-41), and Kathleen Willis (D-77).  All of the freshmen endorsed by River Prairie Group have cosponsored!!

Another priority bill is Clean Water Jobs for All (HB3349), a bill that provides job training to remove and replace lead service lines. Two of our freshmen have cosponsored: Costa Howard and Stava Murray, plus veteran Rep. Kifowit.

Sierra Club is pushing a resolution that calls for money in the capital bill for open space, HR 185.  Deb Conroy is the Chief Sponsor. Costa Howard has cosponsored.

The last Sierra Club priority bill is a bill removing toxic BPA from receipts. Rep. Karina Villa is the Chief Sponsor, and Costa Howard and Kifowit have signed on as cosponsors. 

The Sierra Club election and lobby work have paid off for the environment!  Elections matter!