SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D- Chicago) offered a statement following the Senate passage of a comprehensive clean energy measure that places Illinois at the forefront of the clean energy economy:

“The evidence and science is clear on how vital it is to aggressively address the intensifying climate crisis, especially for the communities that have always been disproportionately affected by the harmful practices of fossil fuel companies.

“This legislation includes numerous provisions to help Black and Brown contractors break into the green energy sector, such as increasing apprenticeship programs to support a diverse workforce pipeline, establishing Green Bank Programs to incentivize energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for Black, Latinx, Asian and indigenous businesses, and upgrading school infrastructure to increase energy efficiency and transition to solar energy.

“I expect the negotiations to continue in good faith so that we can secure outstanding environmental goals, including greater accountability through the establishment of additional benchmarks for measuring progress as we move towards 100% clean energy. While I acknowledge we made significant progress with the latest version of the legislation, these provisions are necessary to get Illinois on track to a truly equitable green future.”