PRN Executive Director Carol Hays spoke at the Illinois Climate Action Table event in Chicago on February 19. Here are her remarks.
I am Carol Hays, executive director of Prairie Rivers Network, based in Champaign.
Speaking as someone who lives outside of the Chicago area, and travels frequently across Illinois, I can tell you that this is a diverse and vast state.
That’s no secret.
But—what people should understand is this: as diverse as this state is, when it comes to energy and the economy, we in Central and Southern Illinois have much more in common with people on the south and west sides of Chicago than divides us.
There are communities from Rockford to Cairo that are currently being left behind in the new energy economy—just as there are in Chicago.
There are communities in Carbondale and the Quad Cities—just as there are in Cook County and the collar counties—where people stand to benefit from renewable energy and energy efficiency.
There are environmental justice communities in North, South, and Central Illinois where a shift toward cleaner technologies can mean new jobs and less pollution.
But, in each of these places, the thought of such a change is accompanied by many concerns.
It’s important that not just the six-county area around Chicago benefits. We need the conversation to reach all 102 counties, and more importantly, we need benefits to reach every part of the state
That is why a conversation—like the one we are launching today—is so critical.
The policy pillars that have been discussed are the right ones. We can build a prosperous future together by supporting the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition’s agenda of 100% renewable energy by 2050, carbon-free power by 2030, and more electric vehicles on the road to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
But—more importantly, we can reach those goals most effectively through the active, robust conversation that the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition is launching.
The first step is to listen.
To listen to the needs of people in Champaign, where I live, and everywhere else across this state.
To hear their concerns and questions.
To hear about their experiences benefitting from clean energy.
For example, we are already seeing the benefits of the Future Energy Jobs Act in places like Tazewell County, just outside of Peoria, where one of the state’s first community solar projects has been approved.
Chicago and the rest of the country are demanding more renewable energy, but they don’t have the room to create it themselves.
Northern, Central, and Southern Illinois can provide the wind and solar the rest of Illinois needs to win the clean energy future, and that will mean new jobs and lower-cost energy in places across Illinois that are struggling economically.
Listen, lead, share. If these watchwords are followed, I have every confidence that we can get to 100% renewable energy.
We can and will achieve a carbon free power sector and electrify the transportation sector.
And—we can do it a way that ensures equity in terms of new jobs and benefits. Join us by signing up today!