By Connie Schmidt
On April 26, multitudes of organizations joined together
across Illinois to present concerns to our state legislators regarding several
environmental bills. The Illinois Environmental Council coordinated the effort
and hosted many training sessions in preparation. Leaders in the River Prairie
Group acted as captains for several teams, scheduling meetings, assigning roles
to volunteer lobbyists, and facilitating the virtual contacts with representatives
and senators of our area.
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| Fall of 2019 Springfield Rally, Courtesy of Clean Jobs Coalition website |
The day was a rousing success, with varying accounts citing between 700 and 1000 participants at the noon rally. A DJ kept the program moving, introducing speakers from communities most impacted by the targeted bills. Water infrastructure and pollution, Environmental Justice Permitting, and of course Clean Energy were the major concerns highlighted.
In the final weeks of May, the Sierra Club IL Chapter was very much focused on getting CEJA (The Clean Energy Jobs Act) across the finish line. Members of the Clean Power Team met each Thursday night for updates on the process being carried out in Springfield. Phone banks were held Monday through Thursday to encourage members across the state to contact their elected officials to vote yes to CEJA and to help call it for a vote.
The governor proposed his own bill, which is over 900 pages but fortunately contains much of the important elements of CEJA. Working for inclusion of Environmental Justice aspects, as well as rigorous deadlines to retire fossil fuel dependency, are priorities for the Clean Jobs Coalition. By the time you are reading this article, a new clean energy future may be in store for residents of Illinois, as we help lead the nation in responsible legislation to address Climate Change.
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