Chicago Tribune broke the news that Midwest Generation announced May 2nd that both the Fisk and Crawford coal plants will be closed in September 2012, instead of by the end of 2012 and 2014. The Chicago Clean Power Coalition released this statement in response to the news.

ORGANIZATION:  ELPC is the Midwest’s leading public interest environmental legal advocacy and eco-business innovation organization, and among the nation’s leaders.  We develop and lead successful strategic environmental advocacy campaigns to improve environmental quality and protect our natural heritage. We are public interest environmental entrepreneurs who engage in creative business deal making with diverse interests to put into practice our belief that environmental progress and economic development can be achieved together. ELPC’s multidisciplinary staff of 45 talented public interest attorneys, environmental business specialists, policy advocates, and communications specialists brings a strong and effective combination of skills to solve environmental problems and improve the quality of life in our communities.  ELPC’s headquarters is in Chicago, along with offices in Columbus, OH, Des Moines, IA, Jamestown, ND, Minneapolis, MN, Madison, WI, Sioux Falls, SD, and Washington D.C.  ELPC started in 1993 and has an annual budget of $6.5 million.  Please see www.elpc.org. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:   Economic analysis of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, and of economic, job creation, business and environmental impacts of state and federal energy policies.  The position includes a wide range of responsibilities including financial and economic growth analysis, drafting reports, and submitting expert testimony in administrative proceedings and before legislative forums.  Work includes participation in stakeholder working groups and other public policy advocacy efforts, teaming with multidisciplinary ELPC Energy Project team including public interest attorneys, policy advocates, M.B.A.s, communications specialists, and organizers.

QUALIFICATIONS:  M.B.A., M.P.P. (quantitative) or Masters in Economics, with at least three years of post-graduate professional experience and policy-technical knowledge in the energy  field.  Strong background in financial and economic analysis.  Substantive knowledge of renewable energy and energy efficiency policy, and energy economics.  Strong academic record and excellent speaking, writing, and analytical skills.  Able to be effective in multi-party stakeholder processes.  An inspired and demonstrated commitment to public interest advocacy and the ability to work productively as a member of a team of skilled professionals is required.

SALARY:  Commensurate with experience and with ELPC’s salary structure that is competitive with other large public interest environmental organizations.  Excellent benefits provided.

APPLICATION PROCESS:  Applicants should send a cover letter, resume and professional references by regular mail or email to:  Robert Kelter, Environmental Law & Policy Center, 35 East Wacker Drive, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL  60601, or Email:  rkelter@elpc.org.  Telephone inquiries are discouraged.  The Environmental Law & PolicyCenter is an equal opportunity employer and is continually seeking to diversify its staff.

(Posted 5/14/2012)

ORGANIZATION:  ELPC is the Midwest’s leading public interest environmental legal advocacy and eco-business innovation organization, and among the nation’s leaders.  We develop and lead successful strategic environmental advocacy campaigns to improve environmental quality and protect our natural heritage.  We are public interest environmental entrepreneurs who engage in creative business deal making with diverse interests to put into practice our belief that environmental progress and economic development can be achieved together.  ELPC’s multidisciplinary staff of 45 talented public interest attorneys, environmental business specialists, policy advocates, and communications specialists brings a strong and effective combination of skills to solve environmental problems and improve the quality of life in our communities.  ELPC’s headquarters is in Chicago, along with offices in Columbus, OH, Des Moines, IA, Jamestown, ND, Minneapolis, MN, Madison, WI, Sioux Falls, SD, and Washington D.C.  ELPC started in 1993 and has an annual budget of $6.5 million.  Please see www.elpc.org.

QUALIFICATIONS:  Applicants should be tenured professors on sabbatical for either a semester or a full-year and should have: (1) A strong interest in public interest environmental advocacy and communication of scientific knowledge to diverse audiences of policymakers; (2) Scientific specialization in fields relevant to ELPC’s global warming solutions, clean energy development, clean air and clean water protection, and improvement and natural resources preservation programs, as described at www.elpc.org and www.globalwarmingsolutons.org; and (3) An ability to work productively with a  team of skilled professionals.

COMPENSATION:  ELPC will provide a competitive fellowship payment, which will complement sabbatical support provided by the applicant’s college or university.

APPLICATION PROCESS:  Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, names and contract info for at least two professional references, and a 1-page memo that describes how you would work effectively with ELPC’s professional staff on specific advocacy programs to: Becca Brown, Environmental Law & Policy Center, 35 East Wacker Drive, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL  60601  FAX:  (312) 795-3730. EMAIL: BBrown@elpc.org. The Environmental Law and Policy Center is an equal opportunity employer and is continually seeking to diversify its staff.

The six members of the ELPC Science Advisory Council provide connections and expand our networks at major Midwestern universities (e.g., Professors Knute Nadelhoffer and Don Scavia at the University of Michigan, and Professors Jonathan Patz, Bobbi Peckarsky and Don Waller at the University of Wisconsin) and research institutions (Dr. Marilu Hastings at the Houston Applied Research Center).  These top-rate scientists infuse up-to-date scientific thinking into our key strategic legal, eco-business and policy decision-making process and bring ELPC resources into new issues that the scientists identify as significant and needing help.  They provide substantial expertise in a variety of fields:  conservation biology, botany, climate change, entomology, evolutionary biology, Great Lakes ecosystems, public health, and stream ecology, among others.

This “post of the week” comes from Lee Crandell, Director of Campaigns at the Active Transportation Alliance, explaining the benefits of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT):

•  Dedicated lanes help reduce traffic delays and road conflicts, making BRT vehicles faster and more reliable and making streets safer.
• Pay-before-you-board stations reduce boarding times, while the permanence of stations provides economic development benefits similar to train stations.
• Transit Signal Priority helps transit vehicles stay on time and reduces bunching by giving them preferential treatment at traffic lights.
• At-grade boarding makes vehicles more accessible to seniors, people with disabilities and parents with strollers, while also reducing boarding time.

The Scoop: BRT can make transit more efficient and safer in communities that rely heavily on public buses for transportation to and from the city.  The CTA will begin implementing three BRT routes in Chicago later this year.

Read the whole story here: http://www.activetrans.org/blog/lcrandell/bus-rapid-transit-may-be-your-transit-future

Earlier this year, the company agreed to retire the Chicago coal plants in response to a 10 year grassroots campaign by a coalition of community, health, and environmental organizations. According to agreements signed by Midwest Generation, the Clean Power Coalition, and the City of Chicago, the Fisk coal plant must shut down in 2012 and the Crawford coal plant by 2014.

Read the story

The Chicago Clean Power Coalition released the following statement in response to the news.

For Immediate Release

May 2, 2012

Chicago’s Fisk and Crawford Coal Plants to Close in September

Midwest Generation is accelerating the closure of two of the nation’s oldest and dirtiest coal plants, saying both the Fisk plant in Pilsen and the Crawford plant in Little Village will close in September 2012.

On today’s first quarter investor call, Ted Craver, CEO of parent-company Edison International, announced that the Fisk and Crawford coal plants in Chicago will shut ahead of schedule.

Earlier this year, Edison International agreed to retire the Chicago coal plants in response to a 10 year grassroots campaign by a coalition of community, health, and environmental organizations. According to agreements signed by Midwest Generation, the Clean Power Coalition, and the City of Chicago, the Fisk coal plant must shut down in 2012 and the Crawford coal plant by 2014.

Today’s announcement confirms that economic pressures and grassroots opposition present a real challenge to the long term viability of Edison’s coal fleet. Energy producers are recognizing the need to move towards cleaner, more cost effective energy sources

In response to today’s decision, members of the Chicago Clean Power Coalition said:

“We welcome the news that both plants will close earlier than expected. Midwest Generation made this decision independently based on an economic analysis. Coal is not just harmful to public health and air quality; it’s no longer a working business model. Clean energy is where the jobs are now.” – Faith Bugel, senior attorney with Environmental Law & Policy Center.

“There’s no future in coal. Edison International executives can protect Illinois families and their own investors by retiring the remaining Midwest Generation coal plants and committing future investments to renewable energy,” – Kelly Mitchell, Greenpeace Coal Campaigner

“It’s amazing to see the economic times finally catch up with what our communities have known all along – coal is a dirty investment. We are excited to hear that our communities will not have to wait until 2014 for a breath of clean air. In our hearts, we know that Midwest Generation will do right by its employees and invest in them like they have invested in clean energy.” Kimberly Wasserman, Executive Director, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization

“In the neighborhoods surrounding the plants tonight, tiny and older lungs especially will breathe a little easier knowing that 100% of the deadly coal pollution generated in Chicago will end in just 4 short months. This news couldn’t be better and will inspire residents as they work together to gather and construct proposals for how future uses of the sites can benefit the community.” – Jerry Mead-Lucero, local resident and organizer for PERRO, the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization.

“Midwest Generation is doing what it needs to do by shutting the plants early. Now we need to move forward toward clean air and a worthy replacement for the plants.” – Nelson Soza, Pilsen Alliance

“Chicago still has a long term air pollution problem and finally closing the last several ancient, inefficient and dirty coal power plants in the Chicago area would improve the health of all area residents by reducing asthma attacks, heart attacks, hospitalizations and deaths.” – Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health for Respiratory health Association of Metropolitan Chicago.

“Today we won two more years of cleaner, safer air for the children of Little Village, culminating the many years of hard work by local families and concerned residents. We are now calling on Midwest Generation to protect their employees and asking for investments in energy efficiency that will create new jobs to assist the workers and community with a smooth transition to a clean energy future. We we look forward to continuing our work with the Chicago Clean Power Coalition and Mayor Emanuel to ensure new productive uses of these sites and a cleaner future our city.” -Jack Darin, Sierra Club Illinois Chapter Director

ELPC is working to make green building practices the norm. Our new LEED Platinum eco-office puts our values into practice, combining innovative technology and forward-thinking design to create a workspace that protects the environment, is healthier for our staff and makes economic sense.

April 26, 2012

Contact:

David Jakubiak

(312) 795-3713

DJakubiak@elpc.org

ELPC Commends Senate Agriculture Committee Support of Homegrown Energy

WASHINGTON – The Senate Agriculture Committee took an important step to support America’s farmers, renewable homegrown energy, rural development and national security by funding core energy programs through a Farm Bill amendment passed today.

“We commend Chairwoman Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and the bipartisan group of 11 Senators who supported a bipartisan amendment supporting mandatory funding for programs that reduce dependence on polluting fossil fuels and help farmers cut energy costs and produce innovative renewable energy for America,” said Andy Olsen, Senior Policy Advocate with the Environmental Law & Policy Center.

“The state of the economy and our continuing energy challenges underscore the need for programs like the REAP (Rural Energy for America Program) and  BCAP (Biomass Crop Assistance Program) which generate rural development and provide a safety net to farmers,” Olsen said.

“We thank the energy title supporters, Senators Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) for their support of an Energy Title amendment that provides mandatory funding of these core energy programs,” Olsen added.

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The Environmental Law & Policy Center is the Midwest’s leading environmental legal advocacy and eco-business innovation organization.                    

DesMoinesDem is a suburban mom writing about Iowa politics and encouraging community discussion to hold public officials more accountable.  In her “Iowa faith leaders call for action to limit climate change” blog this week, DesMoinesDem discusses 56 religious leaders having signed an appeal for Iowans to take actions to limit global climate change and prepare for the consequences of the damage to the global climate that has already been done:

“The faith leaders mention a recent warning to Iowa legislators from 44 scientists representing 28 Iowa colleges and universities. Unfortunately, even when Democrats controlled the state House and Senate, lawmakers did almost nothing to implement the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council’s recommendations.

. . . On a related note, the 2011 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll indicated that 68 percent of Iowa farmers believe climate change is happening, 5 percent do not believe it is happening, and 28 percent are not sure. About 45 percent of that survey’s respondents said human activities are partly or mostly responsible for changing climate patterns.”

The Scoop:  DesMoinesDem’s post discusses how faith leaders are speaking out in Iowa about climate change and calling for solutions-oriented actions by Iowa’s political leaders, who are not yet stepping up.  Thanks DesMoinesDem for your post and your call to action directed to state legislators.

Read the whole story here: http://www.bleedingheartland.com/diary/5458/iowa-faith-leaders-call-for-action-to-limit-climate-change

Some 117 scientists and researchers from 11 universities and colleges in Michigan have penned a letter to the state’s 17-member congressional delegation urging them to prevent proposed legislation that could reverse tough new regulations on mercury emissions and other air toxins adopted last December by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The federal Mercury and Air Toxics Standard will help “protect and clean the air we breathe, assure that local fish are safer to eat, and protect and preserve the wildlife and natural spaces we love from harmful pollution originating in Michigan and elsewhere,” said the April 5 letter signed by the Michigan university professors and researchers. To read, click here.

Read the blog.

Nonetheless, some defensive polluters and politicized critics are hauling out the old, false myth that we must choose between job creation and environmental progress.  That wasn’t true 42 years ago, and it isn’t true today.  Nor do most people believe in that canard.  Let’s look at the facts and progress of innovative clean technologies in the Midwest.

Energy Efficiency Improvements are creating jobs, saving people and businesses money on their utility bills, and reducing pollution.  Johnson Controls, Honeywell, Shaw Group and Sieben Energy Associates are among the many energy efficiency businesses employing thousands of skilled workers retrofitting schools, hospitals, homes and commercial, industrial and governmental buildings.  Saving energy saves consumers money and keeps money in the Midwest regional economy.  Less pollution means better public health and cleaner lakes and rivers for all.  Why would anyone argue that it’s somehow smart to waste energy and money?

Wind and Solar Energy Development create manufacturing and technical jobs, rural economic development and pollution-free energy.  The Environmental Law & Policy Center’s Wind and Solar Supply Chain reports show that :

• Illinois is home to more than 300 wind, solar and geothermal supply chain businesses and 18,000 related jobs
• Iowa is home to more than 80 wind supply chain businesses and 2,300 manufacturing jobs, alone.
• Michigan is home to more than 241 wind and solar supply chain businesses and 10,000 related jobs.
• Ohio is home to more than 169 wind and solar supply chain businesses and 9,000 related jobs.
• Wisconsin is home to more than 250 wind and solar supply chain businesses and 12,000 related jobs.

Chicago is home to the headquarters of 13 major wind power companies, making “the Windy City” a global wind industry hub. Old-line manufacturing companies including Brad Foote Gear Works (Cicero, IL), Dowding Industries – Astraeus Wind Energy (Eaton Rapids, MI), A. Lucas & Sons Steel (Peoria, IL), S&C Electric (Chicago, IL), Timken (Canton, OH) and Broadwind – Tower Tech (Manitowoc, WI) are re-tooling to supply growing markets for clean energy equipment.  Iowa is the nation’s #2 state for installed wind power, and Illinois was the nation’s #2 state for new wind power development in 2011.  Wind power is the fastest growing global energy source.  Midwest politicians must get the policy framework right to keep advancing our region’s clean energy economy leadership.

Cleaner, More Efficient Cars and Trucks save us money at the gas pump, cutback air pollution, improve national security by making our country less dependent on foreign oil, and keep money in the Midwest states’ economies rather than drain dollars to the Middle East, Venezuela and oil-producing states.  The Obama Administration’s leadership in stabilizing and modernizing the American auto industry is a true success story, which is especially important for the Midwest with its high percentage of auto-related manufacturing jobs.  Look at just Illinois:  Ford is now adding 1,100 new jobs at its Chicago assembly plant, Chrysler is adding 1,800 new jobs at its Belvedere plant, and Mitsubishi Motors is investing at its Normal plant and promoting electric vehicles.  Automakers and parts suppliers in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana are reviving, and there are new advanced battery manufacturers, especially in Michigan.

The federal clean car standards will increase fuel economy to a fleet-wide average of 35 mpg in 2016 and 54.5 mpg by 2025.  That will save trillions of dollars for America’s economy, create jobs for Americans building the cleaner cars for the future, and reduce greenhouse gas pollution.  This is a smart solution.

High-Speed Rail Development is on track across Illinois with leadership from Democratic Governor Quinn and across Michigan with leadership from Republican Governor Snyder. High-performance rail improves mobility, creates jobs and spurs economic growth, and reduces pollution. Supply chain businesses across the Midwest will be manufacturing equipment for high-speed rail projects.   Wisconsin Governor Walker’s decision to reject $810 million of federal high-speed rail funds and Ohio Governor Kasich’s decision to reject $400 million are missed opportunities, which we hope can be reversed in the future.

Modern, fast, comfortable and convenient trains connecting Chicago to Milwaukee, Detroit and St. Louis and to Cleveland, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Madison, Minneapolis-St. Paul and other Midwestern cities is an important third transportation option to highway congestion with higher gas prices and rising airfares with fewer flights.  This is a sensible solution for our future.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ recent report shows that 3.1 million people hold jobs in green goods and services. Close to 500,000 jobs are in manufacturing, 370,000 in construction and 349,000 in professional, scientific and technical services.  That’s progress.

We will soon be overwhelmed by 30-second political attack ads from all sides.  Let’s separate sound solutions from the sound bites.   We are achieving job creation, economic growth and better environmental quality together.  That’s what the public wants and it’s happening.