Clean Energy Jobs Act would encourage renewable energy investments

In 2016, Illinois passed the Future Energy Jobs Act which started Illinois on its journey to a 100% clean energy economy. Today, we have the Clean Energy Jobs Act which picks up where the future act left off. As Illinois grapples with the unprecedented job losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Clean Energy Jobs Act would create jobs without raising taxes or electricity bills. The act would use a multifaceted approach. It would fix structural problems which have for years delayed renewable energy investments in Illinois. It would move us away from a system that requires excess energy capacity (at higher rates), and which makes energy more expensive while keeping fossil fuel plants in operation well past their usefulness. The act would also create workforce development hubs around the state, maximizing economic opportunities for environmental justice communities and fossil fuel communities (hurting from the loss of coal plants or coal mines). There is much more to this bill, but it would put Illinois in the forefront of energy in the U.S. By moving ahead like this, Illinois would reap more benefits than if we just oppose change of any kind on the grounds that some of us would be inevitably damaged. Sierra Club and others support what is called the “energy transition.” The “energy transition” does not require turning the whole world upside down. We already have the technology and the tools to make significant progress on this transition right now. And we can do so in a just and equitable way that maximizes the benefits for everyone. The Clean Energy Jobs Act is the next step on Illinois’ 100% clean energy journey. Here in the 19th Senate District, Sen. Michael Hastings is chair of the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee. I ask Sen. Hastings to do everything he can to make sure the proposal is heard in the next legislative session.