Groups Say IL Clean-Energy Jobs Act Complements Biden Climate Agenda

Chicago IL

26 April, 2021

11:23 AM

Description

By Lily Bohlke, Public News Service: CHICAGO -- After last week's global climate summit, environmental groups in Illinois are pushing for legislation to continue moving the needle and contributing to President Joe Biden's goal of cutting emissions in half by 2030. The Clean Energy Jobs Act would bring Illinois to 100% renewable energy by 2050, decarbonize the power sector by 2030, and reduce pollution in the transportation sector. Jennifer Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council, said the bill will lead to job growth and economic development. "Particularly in communities that need it most, such as frontline communities that have been impacted by dirty energy, communities that will see job transitions and communities that have been affected by racial inequities," Walling explained. Biden's American Jobs Plan would invest in more well-paying union jobs advancing clean energy and extend and expand tax credits for generating clean energy and for carbon capture and sequestration. It also would work to improve the resiliency of infrastructure. Illinois has experienced nearly 50 extreme weather events in the last decade, resulting in up to $50 billion in property damage. Walling added a clean energy transition is essential for communities dealing with the health and economic impacts of air pollution. For example, Little Village in Chicago was blanketed with air pollution right at the start of the pandemic, after a demolition went wrong at the Crawford Coal Plant, which had been closed for some time. "Obviously, we're doing this because we want to fight climate change," Walling remarked. "But it's been more clear than ever because of the public health crisis of the pandemic, that respiratory health issues are something to be taken seriously." She noted of the roughly 130,000 clean-energy jobs in Illinois, between 20,000 and 40,000 were temporarily lost because of the pandemic. She hopes the fight to curb climate change will help boost the Prairie State's economic recovery as well. Leaders Summit on Climate Clean Energy Jobs Act American Jobs Plan White House Illinois fact sheet Clean Energy Jobs Act fact sheet This story was originally published by the Public News Service. For more information, visit publicnewsservice.org. And subscribe now to Public News Service's "2020Talks," a daily 3-minute podcast that will answer all your election questions.