March 29, 2021
Joins Illinois Assistant Vast majority Chief Delia Ramirez in Urging Lawmakers to Assist Passage of Invoice
Prepare dinner County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joined officers, advocates, and an impacted small business operator to endorse the Thoroughly clean Power Jobs Act (CEJA, HB 804), praising the invoice for advancing equity and assisting Illinois to mitigate climate alter.
President Preckwinkle was joined by Illinois Rep. Delia Ramirez, Prepare dinner County Commissioner Bridget Degnen (Vice-Chair of the Surroundings and Sustainability Committee), Policy and Advocacy Director Pastor Onque of Religion in Put, and Ramon Hayes, owner of Eco-Vitality Alternatives to spotlight the virtues of CEJA and urge fellow Illinois lawmakers to assist passage of the invoice.
“We know thoroughly clean vitality and local climate modify are environmental justice difficulties,” said President Preckwinkle. “Residents who stay in minimal-income communities have borne the brunt of air pollution from the old fossil fuel economy. These inhabitants have also been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. CEJA will straight aid these communities by increasing air good quality and finding persons again to perform in positions that pay dwelling wages and help the new cleanse vitality economic climate.”
“One particular way to make housing more very affordable is to decrease electrical power expenditures. I guidance CEJA in element simply because of the provisions guaranteeing people have obtain to strength effectiveness programs that enable make their properties safer and a lot more successful,” said Assistant Majority Leader Delia Ramirez. “For as well very long, utility organizations have been allowed to use unsafe supplies and hike the fees on people who can the very least find the money for it. I inspire my colleagues to sign up for me as a sponsor, since for our most vulnerable communities, CEJA are not able to wait around.”
With equity at its core, CEJA does additional than any other electrical power bill to produce work opportunities in Black, Indigenous and Folks of Color (BIPOC) communities, which bear the greatest cost of air pollution but frequently share the fewest gains of cleanse vitality technological innovation. Quite a few citizens in Cook County would reward from this career development, which also prioritizes work schooling for previously incarcerated people today.
“I started out my business ten years in the past as a uncomplicated LED lights supplier, and for the initial five a long time I had a person shopper that retained my business on lifetime assistance,” said Ramon Hayes, owner of Eco-Strength Solutions in South Holland. “When lawmakers handed laws that incentivized vitality effectiveness programs, my tiny organization went from scarcely surviving to basically thriving. I support CEJA to broaden on this operate, build employment in our communities, and give many others the possibility for success.”
CEJA would maintain utilities accountable by ending system rate boosts that burden consumers and smaller businesses, whilst relocating Illinois to 100 per cent clean energy by 2050. The bill will draw in billions of bucks in personal renewable power investment to Illinois, extend funds-preserving effectiveness plans, and endorse car or truck electrification, cleansing up the transportation sector which contributes additional to local weather adjust than any other sector. CEJA would make 1000’s of clean vitality positions without the need of raising taxes, climbing energy charges, or providing bailouts to Exelon or fossil gasoline organizations.
“You have heard from me lots of situations on the Board ground about the imminent menace of climate modify,” stated Cook County Commissioner Bridget Degnen. “It is previous time for condition government action to go this important regulatory framework which puts Illinois employees to start with by producing a diverse and equitable clear vitality workforce that recognizes the historical and institutional obstacles confronted by Black, Indigenous and all Men and women of Colour, as properly as small-revenue communities.”
CEJA’s objectives align carefully with those of Cook dinner County’s Thoroughly clean Vitality Approach, which commits to internet zero emissions by County services by 2050. CEJA also aligns with Cook dinner County’s motivation to range and inclusion in government purchasing. Study much more about Cook County’s broader motivation to racial equity, diversity and inclusion.
Master additional about the Cleanse Electrical power Careers Act and the Illinois Clean up Work Coalition at www.ilcleanjobs.org.
Enjoy the movie of the press meeting on the Illinois Clear Positions Coalition’s Facebook webpage.
This press launch was made by the Cook County Governing administration. The views expressed right here are the author’s possess.
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