River Prairie Group Supports the Virtual CEJA Lobby Day

By Connie Schmidt

No doubt many of you now reading these words were among the 1000 folks who signed up to lobby for CEJA, The Clean Energy Jobs Act, on November 12. There were exactly 1000 because the registration system could handle no more, and they shut down after that number! Incredible! Last year we were blown away with the busses from across the state bringing crowds to the capital that totaled around 700.  CEJA is even more important now, as evidenced by the turnout this year. 

The official rally lasted only a little over 30 minutes with elected officials in attendance, a very creative DJ knitting the speakers together with introductions, and people from frontline communities testifying to the importance of this legislation for their quality of lives and their communities. It was inspirational, indeed.

The real work happened in smaller individual lobby meetings planned by local captains who scheduled time with their senators and representatives. Many of the groups had 25-30 participants signed up to all demonstrate the powerful constituency that wants CEJA to pass soon. The captains set up individual virtual events with the officials and guided the discussion and questions for these meetings. 

Sadly, on the day of the big rally, it was declared that there would be no veto session. Hope was not extinguished for this enthusiastic crew, as a lame duck session may take place in January prior to the swearing in of the new session.

For anyone out there who is not familiar with CEJA, it is daunting at over 900 pages. This bill has been revised several times and is now referred to as the 4.0 version. Some of the important features to mention in this revision are:

• Utility Accountability ~ Bold new ethics requirements and consumer protection with increased transparency for both lobbyists and legislators.
• Economic Recovery ~ JOBS! Perfect for the economic recovery that is craved in all parts of our state. Included as well is a “Workers Bill of Rights” that insists on a fair transition for coal plant employees with job training and other protections from arriving at work to a padlocked gate.
• Racial and Environmental Justice ~ People from marginalized communities impacted by coal plant pollution are prioritized for Workforce training, and businesses owned by local residents and people of color are given incentives.
• Climate Change Action ~ This bill includes energy efficiency, gas inventory for efficiency, transportation infrastructure for EVs, and electrified public transportation, among many other features to address reducing the carbon footprint of the people of IL, thus helping to mitigate the Climate Crisis in our state.

So, if you are inclined, you may continue with lobbying by joining our effort to phone Governor Pritzker’s office every Thursday at 855-980-5638, and ask that CEJA be moved upon as quickly as possible. Sign up here for reminder emails. If you have questions on CEJA, you can contact Connie Schmidt at 630-234-3029 or twnstr111@msn.com and she will try to get the answers for you.