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Advocates Say Clean Energy Jobs Act Can’t Wait Until Next Year

Four Central Illinois coal plants and a southern Illinois coal mine are slated to close by year’s end.

Environmental advocates say the Clean Energy Jobs Act would create new programs to help workers and communities impacted by the coal facility closures. And they say movement on the legislation is needed now.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said earlier this month he does not expect action on the legislation during this year’s veto session.

But State Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) says that is unacceptable.

“We cannot hold this bill up while ComEd and Exelon work out their legal troubles. That is not fair to the citizens of the state of Illinois," she said.

The energy companies are involved in a wide-ranging federal corruption probe.

Mayfield said it’s only a matter of time before the coal plant in her hometown shuts down, and she doesn’t want residents left on the hook with the economic repercussions.

When asked if Pritzker had qualms about the bill or if she thought it needed more support before it’s called up in committee, Mayfield said she confidently believes it could pass the House based on her conversations with other lawmakers.

Tracy Fox is with the Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance.

“I find it very disappointing, as does the coalition, that veto session may pass without action given the urgency," Fox said.

Fox, a Peoria native, said the Clean Energy Jobs Act is needed to create a smoother transition as Illinois moves away from fossil fuels towards cleaner energy like wind and solar. More than 200 people will lose their jobs if the four coal plants close this year.

Vistra Energy has announced it intends to close the coal-burning power plants in Canton, Havana, Hennepin and Coffeen by year’s end, pending regulatory approval.

A separate deal currently awaiting a federal judge’s approval would also close the E.D. Edwards power plant south of Bartonville by the end of 2022, greatly reducing Illinois’ overall fleet of coal plants.

Peabody Energy recently announced it intends to shutter a coal mine in Saline County by the end of 2019.

Pritzker has said that while he’s supportive of cleaner energy efforts, he wants to eye legislation with a broader lens than what the Clean Energy Jobs Act is proposing.

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October 23, 2019 at 02:04PM

October 23, 2019 0

Dixon resident running for 90th District seat

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DIXON – A new candidate for state representative of the 90th District –which includes the western portion of DeKalb County – wants to have teachers backs because it’s a community investment.

Seth Wiggins, D-Dixon, announced his candidacy for the seat and is currently unopposed in the Democratic primary. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, currently represents the district.

Wiggins is a technical sergeant who spent 11 years in the Air National Guard. He is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, is a local attorney, former criminal prosecutor, state-certified victim advocate for survivors of sexual assault and a licensed foster parent.

Wiggins wants to put public education first, according to his website.

“The backbone of a thriving state is an educated society,” according to Wiggins’ website.

He doesn’t want teachers to pay for classroom supplies with their own money, according to his website.

Wiggins also wants to helpd create jobs, according to his website.

The biggest opportunity to create jobs in the area, he said, is in the Interstate 88 corridor that passes through the district.

On drug issues, Wiggins plans to treat substance abuse addicts instead of sentencing them to prison, his website states.

“Ignoring the problem is not a solution,” according to his website. “Blaming the addict is a missed opportunity for a better tomorrow.”

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Region: Northern,Region: DeKalb,Local,City: DeKalb

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October 23, 2019 at 12:26AM

October 23, 2019 0

Itasca mayor asks lawmaker not to seek state funds for Haymarket addiction treatment center

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A state lawmaker has shelved plans to get Itasca financial support for a proposed addiction treatment facility after the mayor asked her to hold off.

State Rep. Deb Conroy had hoped to address a major concern about Haymarket Center’s plan to convert a Holiday Inn into a 240-bed drug and alcohol treatment center by securing an annual grant for Itasca that would replace local tax dollars lost by the hotel’s closure.

But in a letter dated Friday, Mayor Jeff Pruyn basically said thanks but no thanks.

“At this time, I have no choice but to request that you hold off on requesting any state funding for this project until village staff has sufficient time to analyze all the data presented at the upcoming public hearings to better determine the total financial impact to Itasca taxpayers,” Pruyn’s letter reads.

On Monday, Conroy said she was “surprised” by Pruyn’s request.

“I feel very strongly that the state and the county have a responsibility to support this community any way we can,” the Elmhurst Democrat said, “because this facility is going to save lives throughout the entire county, which is going to benefit the county and the state.”

Nevertheless, Conroy said she’s decided to “put on hold” legislation that would provide grants to Itasca if Haymarket’s facility opened there.

“It’s stunning that we could provide those funds, and they’re still very much in opposition,” she said.

Conroy received Pruyn’s letter days before the Itasca plan commission is scheduled to hold the first of several public hearings on Haymarket’s plan. The Wednesday night hearing will be at 7 p.m. at Lake Park High School’s west campus in Roselle because the crowd size is expected to be massive.

The proposal is facing strong opposition from residents who say Itasca is too small to support the proposed facility, which Haymarket officials said on Monday will have 240 beds.

Part of the concern is that the hotel along Irving Park Road generates roughly $250,000 in annual tax revenue, including $150,000 in property taxes. The village and other taxing bodies in Itasca would lose that revenue if Haymarket, a nonprofit group, acquires the property.

To replace the lost tax revenue, Conroy was planning to pursue legislation to give Itasca $200,000 a year in state grant money. She also was going to ask DuPage County to contribute $50,000 annually to bring the total grant amount to $250,000.

On Monday, Pruyn said in a statement that he asked Conroy to hold off on seeking state funding because “we do not have data on Haymarket’s historical demand for public safety responses at its facilities, and what resources that may drain from Itasca.”

“We are missing so many facts and figures; we cannot predict the unknown for a proposal that the plan commission hasn’t even seen yet,” Pruyn said.

He said Conroy’s decision to hold off “is the right thing to do.”

In the meantime, Conroy said she is supporting Haymarket’s plan.

Haymarket is making its second attempt at opening a recovery center in DuPage. Nearly 100 people died from drug overdoses last year in the county, and more than 2,000 residents from DuPage and other collar counties were patients at Haymarket clinics from 2017 to 2018.

“We need this facility desperately in DuPage County,” Conroy said. “The location wasn’t chosen because it’s in Itasca. It was chosen because of the hotel and how ideal it is.”

If the plan is approved, Haymarket would spend roughly $1.5 million to remodel the interior of the hotel. The facility would provide inpatient and outpatient care and have beds for treatment and recovery.

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Feeds,Region: AH,Local,Region: Suburbs,City: Arlington Heights,Suburbs

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October 14, 2019 at 04:38PM

October 14, 2019 0

Representative Rita Mayfield (60th) on the closure of Medline in Waukegan: The Illinois EPA has failed to protect human life

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Representative Rita Mayfield (60th-Waukegan) joins John Williams to explain the legislation that will require plants like Sterigenics to be voted into a community. Her own bill, HB3888 requires hospitals to phase out the use of ethylene oxide to sterilize materials.

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Feeds,News,Region: Chicago,City: Chicago

via WGN Radio – 720 AM https://wgnradio.com

October 8, 2019 at 03:46PM

October 8, 2019 0

Batavia woman launches bid for state House

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BATAVIA – In her first bid for public office, Maura Hirschauer of Batavia is mounting a campaign for the Illinois House of Representatives.

Hirschauer is running for the Democratic nomination to succeed state Rep. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago.

Villa, who is endorsing Hirschauer, recently declared her own candidacy for the state Senate seat now held by Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, who in turn is seeking the GOP nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville.

Hirschauer launched her campaign on Oct. 6 in front of about 80 supporters during a rally at the Peg Bond Center along the Batavia Riverwalk.

This sets up a contested Democratic race for the 49th District seat in the March 17, 2020 primary election between Hirschauer and Christopher Sparks of North Aurora.

Sparks is an attorney with the Kane County Public Defender’s Office and a member of the West Aurora School Board.

Hirschauer is presenting herself as a volunteer and community activist who will focus on education, health care and gun violence while looking out for middle class taxpayers.

“My promise is I will always listen with compassion and act with conviction,” Hirschauer told her supporters.

Hirschauer is the president of the Batavia Mothers’ Club Foundation and a founding member of Kane-Kendall chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

On Sept. 26, Hirschauer accompanied her 10-year-old daughter to Washington, D.C. at the invitation of Underwood, who was hosting a press conference on gun violence at the U.S. Capitol.

Maggie Hirschauer, a fifth-grader at J.B. Nelson School, had attracted Underwood’s attention after describing active-shooter drills at her school in a letter to state lawmakers.

“As I watched her, I was struck by the thought that she and her amazing brave peers will change the world,” Hirschauer said at her campaign rally.

“I believe that common sense gun legislation is critical to keep our communities and neighborhoods safe,” Hirschauer said, “while allowing for responsible gun ownership.”

Hirschauer was an elementary school teacher in California before her husband’s work as a physicist brought him to Batavia’s Fermilab. The couple has three children in Batavia Public Schools.

“I will fight for continued investment in high-quality schooling from early childhood through high school,” Hirschauer said. “And I will strive to make higher education affordable for all.”

Hirschauer called health care coverage “a human right” and described herself as a fiscally responsible candidate who would work to lower property taxes.

Sounding similar themes on education and health care is Sparks, Hirschauer’s Democratic primary opponent.

Sparks has been a public defender with Kane County for nine years and was elected to the West Aurora School Board in 2017.

In an interview, Sparks said the state makes budgeting difficult for school districts.

“The budget process is frustrating and destabilizing when we don’t know what funding we are going to receive from the state,” Sparks said.

In his role as a public defender, Sparks said he consistently encounters situations where lack of health insurance is at the root of the problem.

“A lot of my clients’ behavior is due to a mental health issue,” Sparks said, “but they went off their medication because they couldn’t afford it.”

Meanwhile, North Aurora Village Trustee Laura Curtis is running for the Republican nomination for the 49th District seat. She could not immediately be reached for comment.

The 49th District includes portions of Aurora, North Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, West Chicago and South Elgin.

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Feeds,Kendall,Local,City: St. Charles,Region: Suburbs,Region: W Suburbs

via Kane County Chronicle https://ift.tt/2r32Acp

October 7, 2019 at 06:08PM

October 7, 2019 0

Working for Illinois Caucus

House Downstate Democrats work for the good people of Illinois

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