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.

Chicago #5 in Green Buildings; Saves $50M/Year

A new national study by USEPA finds that the Chicago region ranks 5th in the country in terms of number of buildings that earned an "Energy Star" rating for their energy efficiency.

As of 2009, the Chicago area had 134 energy efficient buildings which save $50.2 million each year in energy costs, and eliminate the pollution associated with powering, heating, and cooling 44,500 homes.

Chicago moved up one spot from the previous year's rankings. Los Angeles, Washington DC, San Francisco, and Denver are the top four.

IL Senate Approves Nuclear Rate Hike Option

This week the Illinois Senate approved legislation to lift the moratorium on new nuclear power plant construction in Illinois. The bill now moves on to the Illinois House.

Nuclear power remains the most expensive and dangerous way to boil water ever invented. The exorbitant costs (investors want no part of it unless us taxpayers are on the hook for the construction, operation, and cleanup costs), and dangerous waste problem have meant little to no interest in building new nuclear in Illinois for many years.

Current Illinois law recognizes one of the very real problems with nuclear power - the lack of any permanent disposal site for the waste. As a result, we have high-level nuclear waste sitting at reactors around Illinois, with nowhere to send it. Under current law, there is a moratorium on new reactors until there's somewhere to put the waste.

That makes a lot of sense. Not only would it be unwise to create and pile on even more high-level nuclear waste in these communities, but new nuclear construction would saddle Illinois ratepayers with certain rate hikes. It would also threaten Illinois' growing renewable energy sector, which is one area of Illinois' economy that is strong and growing.

I can understand the temptation of all the construction jobs created by building a new nuclear power plant, but they're really just a pipe dream. No one is going to build a new reactor in Illinois unless ratepayers are saddled with the costs, and if they started today most of the jobs would be many years away, and short-term in nature.

A far better option for creating jobs now, with no risk, would be the RENEW package of clean energy proposals to jumpstart the Illinois solar energy industry and continue the growth of our wind industry. Those energy projects are much cheaper, will create jobs much faster, and of course leave us with cleaner communities to live in rather than bigger piles of dangerous wastes around our state.

If you agree we should be prioritizing clean energy jobs now, tell your State Representative to focus on better, faster, cheaper renewables.

Putting The Environment on Springfield's Agenda

Thanks to all who came up, down, and over for 2010 Environmental Lobby Day last Wednesday. We had a great time, had good meetings with 77 legislators, and added 22 new co-sponsors on our priority bills.

If you missed it, here are some of the highlights. Join us next year!

AG Cracks Down on Polluting Coal Mine

A McDonough County coal mine faces an enforcement action from Attorney General Lisa Madigan & her team after over 300 violations of Illinois clean water laws.

Company records show the Industry Mine repeatedly dumped contaminants into Grindstone Creek (left).

According to the Peoria Journal-Star:

In March 31, 2007, the mine was allowed to discharge a daily maximum of up to 7.0 milligrams per liter of iron, but actually discharged 47.9 milligrams per liter, according to the complaint.

The alleged violations stretch back to 2004 and are as recent as December 2009.

"Some of these (violations) are just outrageous," said Joyce Blumenshine, who is a member of the Heart of Illinois Group Sierra Club, which, along with the Environmental Law and Policy Center and the Prairie Rivers Network, filed paperwork in December to sue the mine.

The strip mine is located southwest of Macomb, and has over 300 water permit violations polluting area streams since 2004. The mine discharges into Grindstone Creek, a beautiful Illinois stream with a historic heron rookery and a maternity roost tree of federally endangered Indiana Bats.

The Springfield Coal Company, which owns the Industry Mine, is now seeking permission to open a new mine near Canton Lake (below), source of drinking water for Canton. Canton residents are worried that the violations at the McDonough County mine bode ill for their beloved Canton Lake, and their water supply.

It's great to see the Attorney General stepping in to enforce the law here. There is a lot of talk these days about how to deal with all of their air pollution from burning coal. These violations are a reminder that we also need to do a better job protecting our water supply and farmland from the impacts of coal mining.