Legislative Action

Plan: The Illinois

Clean Jobs Bill
By: Sharon Wyskiel

IL Clean Jobs Bill (CJB)

The

federal Clean Power Plan requires each state

to produce a plan that will reduce GHG emissions
In response, Illinois has released its plan called
the Clean Jobs Bill (CJB)
A number of state agencies will have new
responsibilities to implement requirements which
are designed to reduce GHG emissions
The three most important agencies are:

The Illinois Power Agency

The Illinois Commerce Commission
The Illinois EPA

The Agencies Involved and

Their Duties
Illinois
Power
Agency

Illinois
Commerce
Commissio
n

Illinois
EPA

Acquires power from Oversees the

regional sources
operation of
regulated energy
utilities

Must present the

Illinois plan to US
EPA for approval

Will be required to
procure
substantially more
green energy

Must demonstrate
that the Illinois
implementation plan
will achieve the
federally-mandated
GHG reduction goal

Will work with

participating utilities
to make power
supply and demand
systems more
efficient

Environmental Justice (EJ)

Yale University study showed that communities of color
and those with low education and high poverty and
unemployment face greater health risks from polluting
facilities1
This is where Environmental Justice comes into play

EPA EJ Indexer

EJ is referred to in two provisions of the CJB

Energy

efficiency-demand response plans

Market-based programs

The Chicago Environmental Justice Network established

six environmental justice principles to guide the Illinois
GHG reduction program
1. Cheryl Katz, Unequal Exposures: People in Poor,
Non-White Neighborhoods Breathe More Hazardous
Particles, Environmental Health News, available at
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/
2012/unequal-exposures (Nov. 1, 2012)

6 EJ Goals
1.

State CPPs must not cause or perpetuate significant, adverse and disproportionate
environmental consequences in environmental justice communities

2.

States must provide a full and complete opportunity for environmental justice
stakeholders to participate in the development and implementation of their Clean
Power Plans

3.

State CPPs must ensure equal access to benefits

4.

States should be required to prioritize some reduction alternatives over others

5.

States should assign lower priority to fuel-switching to natural gas, nuclear energy,
and more efficient coal combustion

6.

Environmental benefits achieved in one state must not be at the expense of EJ

communities in other states and regions

Whats the Problem?

CJB does require active consultation but
success to be determined.
The CJB provides broad mandates for
several state agencies to achieve.
However, the process of filling in these
mandates with detailed requirements for
implementation will occur on an agencyby-agency basis, over the course of years.
Actual participation will be burdensome

Possible Solutions
One

agency will probably not be feasible

One combined hearing
Mandate that the hearings are closer
together
Mandate engagement with stakeholders

EPA Guidance
Possible penalties

Venue/Vehicle/Policy
Champions
This

is a state plan so the venue would be

Illinois
The CJB is a proposed rule, thus, the proper
vehicle would be changing or adding language
to the already existing proposed rule.
Policy Champions:

Chief Sponsors: Reps. Elaine Nekritz, Robyn

Gabel, Michael Fortner, Christian Mitchell
Sens. Don Harmon, David Koehler, Jacqueline
Collins

Stakeholders

The state govt organizations:

Illinois Power Agency

Illinois Commerce Commission
Illinois EPA
Environmental Justice Commission

NGOs

Illinois Environmental and EJ Groups

Little Village Environmental Justice Organization

Kind of a big dealSuccessfully shut down two

large coal plants in the region

Marketing and Messaging

Work with local

NGOs

Explain what is
happening and
what they can do
to be involved
Educate
community on
harmful effects of
pollution