SJ0072 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0072 LRB097 21230 JDS 68849 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On February 29, 2012, Midwest Generation announced that it would retire its two Chicago power plants as the result of an agreement with the City of Chicago and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, which was reached in consultation with community groups and aldermen; and

WHEREAS, Residents in communities neighboring these facilities, including Pilsen and Little Village, have long been concerned about the health impacts of emissions from these facilities; and

WHEREAS, A broad and diverse coalition of community, labor, health, faith, youth, and environmental organizations formed the Chicago Clean Power Coalition to advocate for a resolution to these concerns; and

WHEREAS, the Clean Power Coalition partners include the following organizations: 8th Day Center for Justice, 49th Ward Green Corps, Action Now, Aerotecture International Inc., American Renewable Energy & Power, LLC, American Medical Student Association-UIC, Blacks in Green, Bridgeport Alliance, Buddhist Peace Fellowship, CAPOW! Citizens Act to Protect Our Water, Chicago Youth Climate Coalition, Citizen Action/Illinois, Citizens Against Ruining the Environment, Citizens Committee for a Clean Blue Island, Collective Consciousness Movement, Consolidated Printing, David Weiner & Associates, Design Makes Change, Doctors Council SEIU, Eco-Justice Collaborative, Energy Action Coalition, Environment Illinois, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Faith in Place, Gaia Movement USA, Green Guy Solutions, Green Sanctuary Group, Beverly Unitarian Church, Greenpeace, Growing Station Community Garden, KenJiva Energy Systems, Illinois Solar Energy Association, Illinois Student Environmental Coalition, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Loyola University's Student Environmental Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, Nuclear Energy Information Service, Oikos: The Religion and Environment Initiative, Peace Productions, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pilsen Alliance, Pilsen Environmental Rights & Reform Organization, Progressive Democrats of America, Protestants for the Common Good, Rainforest Action Network Chicago, Ravenswood Community Council, Resource Center, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, Sierra Club, Southeast Environmental Task Force, Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation, SolAir Works, Inc., SAIC Student Environmental Activism Group, Students for a Just and Stable Future at the University of Chicago, Team 15 United, Topless America, Union of Concerned Scientists, Community Action Program at the UIC College of Medicine, Urban Sustain, Wellington Avenue UCC, and Windy City Green Power; and

WHEREAS, The timing of the decision to retire these facilities, and the schedule for the retirement of these facilities, was the result of a process initiated by Mayor Emanuel on his first day in office; and

WHEREAS, Midwest Generation and the City of Chicago have entered into an agreement finding that the timetable for the retirement of these facilities achieves the objectives of the proposed Chicago Clean Power Ordinance; and

WHEREAS, The closure of these facilities will put the neighborhoods in which these facilities are located on a more sustainable path to economic development; and

WHEREAS, The process undertaken by Midwest Generation and the City of Chicago included community, public health, and environmental groups, which agreed not pursue certain pending litigation against Midwest Generation; and

WHEREAS, Once operations at these facilities cease, Midwest Generation will maintain the facilities in a safe and prudent manner as redevelopment opportunities and funding are explored; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the community residents and organizations of Pilsen and Little Village in Chicago, the Chicago Clean Power Coalition, and Midwest Generation for their work and leadership in reaching the agreed resolution to retire coal-fired power plants at the Fisk and Crawford stations in accordance with the goals and objectives of the proposed Chicago Clean Power Ordinance; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we support the continued efforts to clean up these facilities, to determine clean, new uses for these facilities, and to transition these facilities to uses that improve the quality of life in these communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Governor and the agencies of the State of Illinois to support efforts to retire these facilities, to clean up these facilities, and to transition these facilities into uses that improve the quality of life in the communities in which they are located; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Governor, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, the Pilsen Alliance, the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization, and the members of the Chicago Clean Power Coalition.