CEJA Support Increasing

Clean Energy Jobs Act CEJA’s support is growing as a new poll of key Chicago borders’ areas and the suburbs showed overwhelming support. The latest version of the bill is strengthening provisions for social equity, job creation, and utility accountability. More than 70 percent in three state Senate districts that span the city, suburbs, and farm communities show support of the act, according to an Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition poll released on Wednesday.

The coalition stated in a news release that, “The poll found voters overwhelmingly support CEJA as a way for the state to recover from the pandemic, stimulate the economy, and create jobs without raising taxes, spending scarce state revenue, hiking electric bills, or bailing out Exelon, utilities, or fossil-fuel companies.”

Former Governor Rauner had enacted the Future Energy Jobs Act and CEJA builds on that. The Act had covered a lot of parameters from setting up timelines for the state to go carbon-neutral to setting out incentives to the wind and solar power fields. The act also said to hold utilities and fossil-fuel companies accountable for both the environmental and economic damage done to communities in energy production.

According to the coalition, “CEJA would spur Illinois to build four to five times the amount of new renewable energy in the state and bring in more than $30 billion in new private investment to Illinois by 2030.” In the 17^th Senate District, CEJA had support from 75 percent. In the 4^th Senate District, 73 percent, while 72 percent from 14^th Senate District supported CEJA.

The coalition said, “Of the voters surveyed, 71 percent think the General Assembly should take up CEJA now.” African Americans showed great support in a poll taken earlier this month. They backed CEJA by 80 percent in Senate District 17, 84 percent in Senate District 14, and 74 percent in Senate District 4.