Climate Legislation That Could Brighten Our Future
As we emerge from quarantine, the sun appears to be shining a bit brighter on what the future may hold for efforts to deal with climate change. New legislation is at the forefront of the Biden administration and in Illinois to expand clean energy and advance new employment opportunities that can also address issues of equity and inclusion — which is needed given current patterns in the industry. On average, clean energy jobs pay 43 percent more than all occupations combined at the national level while they pay 45 percent more than all occupations combined at the regional level. Yet, participation in these jobs by people of color and women in our region falls below that of whites and men (see Clean Energy Report).
CLEAN Future Act
The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce introduced the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act, an ambitious bill with goals for cutting emissions and with an aim to reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. Among the bill’s proposals the legislation sets a national 100% clean electricity standard (CES) with $200 million authorized to states to help prepare their plans, specific goals for individual sectors, and a Green Bank called the Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator, to help transition to a clean economy.
The sprawling bill also has a focus on worker transition and environmental justice, creating new programs to support dislocated workers and including investments in lead service line replacements and brownfield cleanups. The bill aims to remove barriers to clean energy but ultimately leaves it up to states to ensure that emissions reduction targets are achieved.
More info on the bill here.
Consumers and Climate First Act
Governor Pritzker is proposing to tackle these issues at the state level with the Consumers and Climate First Act. This bill addresses renewable energy and clean power as well as ethics and consumer protections after a scandal shook up the utility world this past year. The bill aims for 100% clean energy by 2050, with plans to phase out coal by 2030 and natural gas by 2045.
To assist consumers, the bill includes the elimination of “online payment fees for all utility bills and would eliminate the customer deposit requirement and late fees for low-income residential utility customers”. Tiered discount rates would be made available for customers with incomes at or below 80% of their area median income. Another provision of the bill that matches the national level is a plan to help workers who lose their jobs transition to work in the renewables industry by creating a displaced “worker bill of rights”.
Clean Energy Jobs Act
The Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) is a follow-up bill to 2016’s Future Energy Jobs Act. CEJA builds on the success of 2016’s bill with commitments such as 100% renewable energy by 2050, cuts on carbon from the energy sector by 2030, and again a strong focus on job creation. More recently, a proposal for a green bank has been added to the bill, which would create a nonprofit to design and run the institution with oversight from an 11-member board in order to boost financing for clean energy investments, and work in tandem with the national Clean Energy Accelerator. The state bank would prioritize investment in underrepresented and environmental justice communities and the funding of projects run by and employing Black, Indigenous, and people of color. “The Clean Energy Jobs Act calls for Illinois’ green bank to raise $100 million in seed capital funded through a pollution tax on fossil fuel extraction and emissions”
This effort would work in tandem with other proposals in the bill including a focus on workforce training and support for clean energy businesses. “We are in the midst of three crises — public health, economic and a crisis when it comes to systemic racism. … To move us out of these crises, Chicago and Illinois should be at the forefront of moving from the rust belt to the green belt. Clean energy must become an engine of safety and stability in our communities.” said state Sen. Robert Peters.
Moving forward
While the status of these bills is still to be determined, many are optimistic that growing clean jobs will be a priority moving forward. A key challenge will be making this growth equitable and financially beneficial. To this end, the Voorhees Center is prepared to provide technical assistance and applied research to help develop, implement, and support regional strategies that result in job creation, high-skilled regional talent pools, and business expansion to help:
• increase employment among underserved populations in good-paying green jobs;
• increase green economic development in underserved communities within our region, particularly southern Cook County and Chicago’s South and West sides; and
• increase growth in the region’s green economy with attention to innovation and inclusion in clean energy, food production, green infrastructure and transportation, distribution and logistics.