GOP Loses Solid Conservationist

I sincerely hope that Paul Froehlich's switch from Republican to Democrat, announced today, has more to do with the political issues cited in news coverage than with his strong, pro-environment voting record.

I am sure Froehlich will continue to support environmental protection as a Democrat, just as he did as a Republican. That's because he casts his votes based on the facts and the will of his constituents, and his partisan affiliation doesn't affect either.

The American conservation and environmental movement has historically had support from Republican leaders at critical times, whether it was Teddy Roosevelt protecting many of the public lands we enjoy today, or Richard Nixon overseeing the enactment of our modern environmental laws and agencies.

Here in Illinois, Republican legislators are a critical part of the growing bloc that is increasingly making our state a leader in environmental protection. Representatives Winters, Biggins, Coulson, Mulligan, Krause, Bassi, Tryon, Fortner, Pihos, Lindner, Cole, and Pritchard, and Senators Cronin, Althoff, Radogno, Peterson, and Dillard are among those who have been supportive of smart energy solutions, cleaner air, cleaner water, and protecting natural areas for future generations. (My apologies to any I missed - this is a quick list off the top of my head just to give you an idea.)

These numbers have been growing in recent years (as they have in the Democratic caucuses). For those of us who work for clean air and water, and all of us who value it, let's hope that trend keeps moving in the right direction. It makes for good public policy, and good politics as voters increasingly choose pro-environment candidates from both parties.

iSPACE in the Souhern today

Nice column in the Southern Illinoisan today on iSPACE.

Les Winkeler writes:

"Illinois is ranked last among Midwestern states in state-owned protected lands. And, with the state's recent economic downturn, funding for land acquisition has decreased about 80 percent over the past few years.

The current legislation, co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Bost and Brandon Phelps, calls for $100 million in new funding. The funding would be designated for land acquisition, provide management grants and support the implementation of the Hunting Heritage Protection Act."

IL House Backs iSPACE

Today the Illinois House adopted HJR 55, sponsored by State Rep. Harry Osterman (D-Chicago), calling for the inclusion of $100 million in new conservation funding in any capital budget. The Senate adopted an identical resolution last week.

So no state budget deal this week, but another strong showing of support for including the iSPACE (Illinois Special Places Conservation, Acquisition, and Enhancement) program in the final deal.

Part of the Solution, or Part of the Problem?

Tenaska, Inc. is planning to build the largest new source of carbon dioxide in Illinois near Taylorville. The 630MW coal fired power plant, as currently planned, would add approximately four million tons of carbon dioxide to Illinois’ carbon dioxide emissions annually, the same amount of global warming pollution as 500,000 cars, per year for each of the next fifty years.

Governor Blagojevich has set a statewide goal of reducing global warming pollution to 60% below 1990 levels by 2050 - the level that science tells us we must reach to slow global warming. Renewable energy and energy efficiency programs will be a major part of this strategy. Illinois coal can also be a part of the solution if new plants are linked to major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Last year in Springfield, just up the road from Taylorville, City Water Light and Power (CWLP) was planning to build a 200MW power plant for their city customers. We worked with CWLP to forge an agreement to offset the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions through a creative package of programs, including purchasing 120MW of wind power, and investing $400,000 into a city wide energy efficiency program.

So far, this has not been the case with the Tenaska project. Tenaska does not have a plan to deal with the massive increases in global warming pollution that would come from their plant. Such a plan could include offsetting carbon emissions through retiring existing, dirtier plants, investing in renewables or efficiency, or potentially sequestering their carbon underground, although there are still many questions about the viability of carbon sequestration.

Tenaska could be a part of the solution, and put forward a plan that gives Illinois and the planet less, not millions of tons more, carbon dioxide. We are willing to work with them to develop such a plan. If Springfield and their local utility can do it, surely a large corporation like Tenaska can do it.

Full Senate, House Committee Recommend iSPACE

Today the full Illinois Senate and a majority of the Illinois house have voiced their support for $100 million in new funding to protect open space as part of a capital spending plan.

“Senators on both sides of the aisle, from all parts of Illinois, agree that investing in protected land for the future is a very smart use of public funds,” said State Senator Jeff Schoenberg, (D-Evanston). “If we don’t include open space protection as part of the next capital spending plan, many valuable acres will either be lost to development forever, or become more expensive to taxpayers as land values increase over time.” Schoenberg is the sponsor of an identical resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 52, in the Senate, which today was adopted by the full Senate.

“Protecting parks and natural areas for future generations is a critical function of state government, and in recent years we have not had the resources to protect the special places of our state from development,” said State Representative Harry Osterman (D-Chicago), the sponsor of House Joint Resolution 55, which calls for $100 million annually in new conservation spending. “Just as we need to shore up our transportation systems and provide quality schools, we have to protect places for recreation, relaxation and wildlife.” HJR 55 has been co-sponsored by 70 members, a majority of the Illinois House, and was approved unanimously by the House State Government Committee on Wednesday.

Momentum Building For New Conservation Plan In State Budget

As Illinois lawmakers work toward a new state budget, a growing number of city, suburban, and downstate legislators are calling for new funding to protect open space as part of the final spending plan.

The proposed "iSPACE" plan would invest $100 million per year in new places across the state to hunt, hike, play, bike, relax, absorb floodwater, purify drinking water, and pass our natural heritage along to future generations. The House resolution supporting the plan, HJR 55, has 70 cosponsors, and today House leaders suspended the rules to allow a hearing on HJR 55 Wednesday morning in the House State Government Committee.

An identical resolution in the Senate cleared the Senate State Government & Veterans' Affairs Committee unanimously last week, and is on the calendar for a Senate floor vote Wednesday.

Both resolutions call for inclusion of funding to establish a capital program to protect Illinois’ natural areas and open spaces for future generations. The Illinois Special Places Acquisition, Conservation and Enhancement Program (iSPACE) would invest in Illinois’ future by providing $100 million annually in a capital spending plan for conservation programs.

iSPACE would designate $100 million annually for:

(1) a new statewide land acquisition program to protect the State's most precious natural resources and provide recreational opportunities, including matching grants to local governments;

(2) implementation of the Partners for Conservation Program (formerly Conservation 2000) through land acquisition and management grants; and

(3) implementation of the Hunting Heritage Protection Act by increasing the amount of land acreage available for hunting opportunities in Illinois.

Sportsmen and environmentalists are working closely together to build support for iSPACE. This has helped build a legislative coaltion of downstaters, suburbanites, and urban legislators that crosses party lines.

As State Rep. Harry Osterman (D-Chicago), lead sponsor of HJR55, says:

“Protecting parks and natural areas for future generations is a critical function of state government, and in recent years we have not had the resources to protect the special places of our state from development. Just as we need to shore up our transportation systems and provide quality schools, we have to protect places for recreation, relaxation, and wildlife.”

Illinois has been without significant open space funding since 2002, and as a result many special places in our state have been lost forever to development. Legislative leadrs have a chance with this budget to catch up on our obligations to the future by including the iSPACE proposal in any capital budget.

Tribune on Smog

Today's Trib has a good look at the need to update current standards for smog and soot in our air.

Here's the link:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-smog_20may20,1,6363846.story?page=1&ctrack=2&cset=true&coll=chi-news-hed