Some derided last year’s sweeping energy law as a bailout for power giant Exelon. But it was also a major win for environmentalists — who are now hedging their bets against Illinois’ budget problems.
Juliana Pino works for LVEJO, an environmental justice group in Chicago. They helped get the state to invest nearly $200 million in clean energy programs for people with low incomes.
But Pino is still rallying public and lawmaker support for a law the governor already signed.
“I think the stumbling blocks are really if people don’t know about it, if they don’t protect the money that’s designated for it, and communities because of that, won’t be able to access the funds.”
Her worry comes from a budgeting tactic called a “fund sweep.” To avoid new taxes or cutting popular services, legislators have for years swept money from special accounts meant for one thing — like roads — and used it for everyday spending.
That means winning initial approval for special state spending is not enough — you have to remain vigilant year after year.
“We’ll probably see the program start to run next year. But in the meantime we want to make sure that the agencies get what they need to get that money out the door to communities that need it,” Pino said.