Just a few days into 2020, we already have an exciting update to celebrate! Earlier this week, the Waukegan City Council passed a resolution calling on the Illinois General Assembly and Governor Pritzker to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act. Waukegan joins Chicago, which demanded climate action at the end of last year.

While this is a great start, we still have a lot of work to do between now and May 31st. I’m supporting CEJA because it is the only energy bill that is rooted in equity. Every other energy bill was written by and for utility companies that are trying to increase their profit margins, no matter the cost to our health or the health of our planet.

CEJA is different. It was drafted after hosting more than 100 community conversations across the state, and Faith in Place has been one of the leading organizations fighting to get it passed.

If you agree that we need an energy bill rooted in equity, a bill that will protect our planet and the communities most impacted by pollution, then take two minutes to tell your legislator to support CEJA!

Thanks,
Celeste Flores, Lake County Outreach Director

P.S. If we are going to keep up the momentum and pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act this year, we can’t do it without your support. I hope you will invest $5 in our work and become a Green Guardian today.

From protecting Illinois communities from toxic coal ash and dangerous Ethylene Oxide emissions, to creating a new Clean Water Workforce Pipeline to provide training and resources for careers in water infrastructure, we have a lot to celebrate from the past few months. Each of these bills passed both the Senate and the House, and we now need the Governor to sign these important environmental justice bills. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to tell Governor Pritzker to sign our bills into law without delay!

We aren’t done yet. Right now, we’re just three votes away from having enough votes to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) in the Senate.

And there is a fierce urgency to this moment; if we don’t pass CEJA soon, we won’t have the resources we need to build clean energy infrastructure across the state. That means a lot of qualified people won’t be hired or could lose the jobs that they already have. That’s why I’ve been spending a lot of time meeting with our elected officials to stress the importance of this moment.

We always talk about the importance of protecting our planet, with good reason, but this is also a jobs bill. Too many people in our communities don’t have access to careers in this growing field. The Clean Energy Jobs Act would change that, and that’s why I hope you will take two minutes right now to contact your legislators!

The Illinois General Assembly will be back in session in October, and we’re planning a big Lobby Day for the 29th. Save the date, and stay tuned for more details!

Thank you for all of your work,

Pastor Scott Onque’
Policy Director

I’m at the State Capitol building in Springfield today as our state legislators are currently meeting for a special session.

I urgently need your help. 

Earlier this month, both the Senate and the House overwhelmingly passed environmental justice resolutions that support funding for the Illinois Solar for All program – a breakthrough new program created by the Future Energy Jobs Act that would create job training programs and expand access to solar energy and solar jobs to economically disadvantaged communities.

However, a budget proposal by Senate Republicans – and endorsed by Gov. Rauner – would sweep every penny of the $185 million designated for the Illinois Solar for All program. [Read more…]