Cool Joliet?

What's the first word you think of to describe Joliet?



Was it cool? If not, it may be soon, if the wonderful women at the heart of the Cool Joliet coalition have anything to say about it. And believe me, they do!

Last week I was in Joliet for a wonderful ceremony to celebrate Joliet's signing of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, making them the 50h "Cool City" in Illinois. The event was a great rally celebrating what Joliet has committed to do to make a dent in global warming pollution. Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson, State Sens. Linda Holmes (who authored the Illinois Cool Cities Act) and A.J. Wilhelmi, Joliet & Will County officials all pledged their support.

This is all the work of a remarkable coalition of volunteers who call themselves "Cool Joliet". They have a great work ethic, and a wonderful vision for their city as a clean, prosperous hub of innovation thanks to aggressive greening measures.

Can Joliet, a city that has been hurt more than most by the decline in manufacturing and the current recession, some day soon be a green city of the future? Having met the amazing women of Cool Joliet, and hearing the support local leaders are giving their vision, I wouldn't doubt it for a second.

Cool Joliet?

What's the first word you think of to describe Joliet?

Was it cool? If not, it may be soon, if the wonderful women at the heart of the Cool Joliet coalition have anything to say about it. And believe me, they do!



Last week I was in Joliet for a wonderful ceremony to celebrate Joliet's signing of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, making them the 50h "Cool City" in Illinois. The event was a great rally celebrating what Joliet has committed to do to make a dent in global warming pollution. Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson, State Sens. Linda Holmes (who authored the Illinois Cool Cities Act) and A.J. Wilhelmi, Joliet & Will County officials all pledged their support.

This is all the work of a remarkable coalition of volunteers who call themselves "Cool Joliet". They have a great work ethic, and a wonderful vision for their city as a clean, prosperous hub of innovation thanks to aggressive greening measures.

Can Joliet, a city that has been hurt more than most by the decline in manufacturing and the current recession, some day soon be a green city of the future? Having met the amazing women of Cool Joliet, and hearing the support local leaders are giving their vision, I wouldn't doubt it for a second.

Asian Carp: Supreme Court Denies Michigan Suit - Can We Focus on Real Solutions Now?

Hopefully now that the U.S. Supreme Court has denied the State of Michigan's attempt to force the closure of Chicago's Lake Michigan locks, everyone can focus on long term solutions.

I certainly sympathize with those who want all reasonable options on the table to keep the carp out of the Great Lakes, but I also doubt that closing them would actually work. And, I know that the Michigan case and the fight about lock closure has been a big red herring, distracting us from planning for the only long-term solution to the problem of invasive alien species moving between Lake Michigan and the Illinois/Mississippi River system - restoring the natural divisions between these two great aquatic systems.

By re-separating these watersheds (they were artificially connected a century ago to send Chicago's sewage towards Joliet, Peoria, and points south) far inland, we would close the alien species superhighway that exists now between the two. There would no longer be any threat of closing the Lake Michigan locks, in fact, we could probably remove them for good. Recreational access to Lake Michigan wouldn't be threatened, it would be made easier.

Separating the watersheds isn't easy or cheap, but it will work, and there might be tremendous secondary benefits for our region. If it's done as part of an overall upgrade to our freight transportation network, it bolsters Chicago's position in the global economy. It would bring substantial infrastructure investment to our region, creating a large number of high wage jobs.

It's an option that has to be on the table, and a serious study initiated as soon as possible. Until we implement such a solution, we have little choice but to take steps to find and eradicate the carp near Lake Michigan. Those may be our main options now, but the faster we take a hard look at hydrologic separation, the more likely we are to keep Asian Carp and other alien species out of the Great Lakes, and allow the Chicago River system to continue its recovery.

Learn more about hyrdologic separation here.

Is It Earth Day in Springfield?

I'm generally very upbeat on Earth Day. To me it's a day to celebrate - the Earth, how cool it is, what each of us can do to protect it, and how much progress we've made since the first Earth Day 40 years ago.

However, I've been spending time in Springfield lately.

Granted, they have a lot on their plate, but the recent sessions that have delivered big, landmark clean energy policy changes have not exactly been calm and orderly. For 2010, environmental advocates, very mindful of the budget crisis and the economy, put forth a package of proposals that would create good jobs, protect public health, and not cost the state a dollar.

With the legislative session potentially winding towards a mid-May adjournment, there's been a lot more thinking than acting going when it comes to creating new jobs and protecting our health:

-The Illinois RENEW package would create at least 28,000 jobs by 2015 by jumpstarting the Illinois solar energy industry and maintaining the growth in the wind industry. So far, there hasn't even been a substantial committee hearing on much of the package. Today, Earth Day, the Senate Energy Committee was set to shelve legislation merely to study creating jobs in installing renewables on large rooftops. (On the bright side, a proposal to help homeowners and businesses finance the cost of clean energy projects has cleared the Senate and awaits action in the House.)

-A proposal to protect babies by taking toxic bisphenol A out of baby bottles, sippy cups, and infant formula containers still awaits a vote in the State Senate.

While the environmental agenda awaits, polluters are largely having their way with the process. For example, a proposal to hamstring Illinois EPA's ability to issue protective pollution permits (that IEPA says will cost taxpayers an extra $1.4M per year) sailed through the Senate, as did a bill to lift the decades-old moratorium on new nuclear power plants.

All is not lost - the agenda is still alive, and this week negotiations over the clean energy package gathered steam. However, if this General Assembly is going to make Illinois cleaner and more prosperous, there's a lot left to do in the weeks ahead.

I, for one, would be happy to have another Earth Day after the session ends to celebrate the enactment of these environment and energy proposals.

Susan Hedman Named EPA Region V Administrator

Great news from USEPA today!

Susan Hedman is great choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts here in the Midwest. I have known and worked with Susan for many years, and she is smart, a very hard worker, and firmly committed to serving the public interest. She brings decades of experience in environmental protection around the Great Lakes region, the country, and indeed the planet. Her appointment is another strong sign that professionalism and integrity are important goals for Administrator Lisa Jackson in leading USEPA.

Susan has been a strong advocate for cleaner air and water during her public service as Environmental Counsel and Senior Assistant Attorney General to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. She has been at the center of the landmark clean energy policy changes made in Illinois in recent years that have created thousands of good paying jobs across our state, and will create thousands more in the years to come. She has fought for better air pollution controls to protect people with asthma and respiratory disease, and to clean up pollution in Illinois' rivers and drinking water. Illinois is a cleaner, and greener place because of her work here.

The environmental challenges and opportunities facing this region are great. Susan Hedman's experience, skill, and dedication make her the ideal choice for such an important job. Her appointment is great news for all of us who love the Great Lakes, who want to protect our children from pollution, and who are ready to create good jobs in a new, clean energy economy. I know she will always put the people's interest in a healthy environment first.

Julie Hamos - A Real Leader Moves On

This was State Rep. Julie Hamos' last week in the Illinois House. As she prepares to take on a tough assignment as Gov. Quinn's pick to head the Illinois Dept. of Health and Family Services, I'm thinking a lot of the many important battles she led or helped lead during her decade in the Illinois House.

It's an impressive list. Clearly, Illinois is a healthier, greener, more prosperous place for her efforts. Just as clear is the big vacancy in the Illinois House environmental leadership corps.

Here are a few of Julie's accomplishments:

Better Building Codes To Save Energy & Cut Costs
Julie was the chief sponsor of legislation passed in 2009 that will require all new construction in Illinois to be built to state-of-the-art standards for energy efficiency, which will reduce pollution and save homeowners money on utility bills.

Restoring State Funding For Open Space Protection
When George Ryan raided state funds dedicated to acquiring parks and open space for future generations, Julie Hamos led the fight to restore full funding for our parks. Later, Hamos helped fight off further attempts by Rod Blagojevich to raid park funds.

Promoting Local, Organic Agriculture
Julie Hamos passed legislation establishing the Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force to promote sustainable food systems.

Saving Illinois Public Transportation
Julie Hamos led the fight to prevent drastic cuts in Metra, Pace, and CTA service by devoting new state funds to mass transit, and fought to shift state dollars away from new roads that would further suburban sprawl toward our mass transit systems.

Julie has also been a major force behind legislation to promote renewable energy, bring cleaner cars to Illinois, protect Illinois' remaining wetlands, and protect Lake Michigan from invasive alien species. She was working to protect the Great Lakes from invaders long before most of us had even heard of Asian Carp.

In 2009, Hamos was honored with the Environmental Leadership Award by the Illinois Environment Council for her efforts in creating energy efficiency building standards legislation.



Julie has a great mind for strategy, and isn't shy about taking on tough fights. I know I'm a better advocate for having worked with her, and I'm glad she will be helping Gov. Quinn in such a tough time at such an important agency.

I've met Robyn Gabel, Hamos' successor in the General Assembly, and I think she'll bring her own style of leadership to these issues, after two decades of fighting for children's health. She'll be a strong, fresh voice, and Springfield can sure use that.

But we'll still miss Julie. We wish her well in her new post.