FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2021
Contact: Hannah Flath, hannahlee.flath@sierraclub.org, 860-634-0225
ELGIN, IL -- Today, the Sierra Club Illinois Youth Activist Team partnered with Occupy Elgin to demand that the Illinois General Assembly pass bold, equity-centered legislation that puts Illinois on a path to a 100% clean energy future. Illinois must enact policies that will create good-paying jobs, build opportunities in Black and Brown communities, reverse disinvestment, retrain displaced workers, and make the state a leader in renewable energy. Failing to meet the urgency of the climate crisis puts Illinois behind other Democratic states and the President’s goals. Youth activists say that fossil fuel companies are jeopardizing their futures and the future of the planet.
At the rally, youth activists and members of Occupy Elgin chanted their support of a climate and equity bill, noting that Illinois must take action before it’s too late.
The group was also joined by Senator Cristina Castro, an environmental champion in the Illinois state Senate. Senator Castro has been in the fight to pass a comprehensive and equitable climate bill since the beginning.
“Illinois has the opportunity to pass the most comprehensive and equitable climate bill in the nation," said Senator Cristina Castro, Chief Senate Sponsor of the Clean Energy Jobs Act. “As we work to pass this nation-leading clean energy policy, we must remember that our responsibility is to the people and the planet that are depending on us, including the young activists rallying here today.”
“In June of this year, NRG announced they would retire the Waukegan coal plant in a year,” said Angela Ramirez of Clean Power Lake County. “This is not the first or the last time the fossil fuel industry wreaks havoc on a Black, indigenous, and people of color community, leaving us to clean up their toxic mess. Situations like the abrupt shutdown of the Waukegan plant intensify the importance of the climate bill, which provides retraining programs and support to laid off industry workers, and aims to support communities and workers with workforce training and a Green Bank to finance clean energy investments .”
“I want to live in an Illinois with 100% renewable energy when I’m older, which can only be achieved if we stop taking baby steps!” said Sierra Club Illinois Youth Activist Sia Shetkar. “This is not a time for tentative actions, guided by the hands of fossil fuel lobbyists and climate change skeptics.”