By Connie Schmidt
Our lobby efforts this year were rushed into action because
the calendar date for their presentation was moved to earlier in February. Nevertheless,
our activists’ response across the state roared into action, and by lobby day
in mid-April there were over 500 caring residents from a myriad of
environmental and justice organizations who convened at the capital. The rally
was staged on the steps as the statue of Lincoln stood in the background. The
following is a brief description of our top bills presented to the legislators
with whom we met.
Polystyrene Phase Out HB2376: Also known as the “single-use” plastics phase
out, this is an effort to ban the foam food ware frequently used by restaurants
for carryout, by 2025. It applies to larger businesses. The bill passed the
House and is now moving in the Senate.
Clean Car and Truck Standards SB2050 and HB1634: To increase electric vehicle use, this bill
improves the clean car and truck standards and thereby decreases climate and
air quality impact. The request to the legislators included asking them to sign
on to a letter to the Governor asking him to use his office to increase
standards as appropriate. These two bills are in the early stages of advocacy
and may not move forward until next year; however, there is hope for the letter
to the governor reaping some support.
The Environmental Justice Act HB2520: The bill was presented last year, but it
didn’t get over the finish line, so we are back at it again. The same bill is
in both the House and the Senate. It works to require that local hearing and
impact studies are done at the site of developments when they are in an
Environmental Justice community. Some legislators voice concern over the
definition of EJ community out of concern for fairness.
Coal Ash or Protecting of Lake Michigan Shores SB1578 and
HB1608: Again, a bill from a
previous era. SB9 was passed prior to
Covid, and it declared that “polluters should pay” for their clean-up when
plants are shuttered. Well, that didn’t
happen at the Zion plant near Waukegan, so these efforts work to put some teeth
into the earlier law. This effort is precarious right now, in that it has been
punted from House to Senate and back. We are dependent on leaders speaking up
to bring this bill forward to fruition.
Carbon Dioxide Transport and Storage Protections Act
HB3119: This may end up being our
“star of the year” if we are able to get it passed. I have noticed articles in
a variety of newspapers on this effort.
Currently CO2 pipelines are not regulated by our state government, and
the wild west of rush to develop infrastructure for carbon sequestration
companies is underway. This bill sets safety standards for the industry,
communities, and landowners. Our local leaders seem in favor of this bill, but
convincing legislators from downstate may be a bigger lift. There is a
competing industry bill that we hope will fail.
Working on political efforts through the River Prairie Group
and the Illinois Chapter is some of the most valuable volunteer time you can
offer. If you are interested, please contact Connie Schmidt to discuss details
of our work. Cschmidt527@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment