Energy Policy

Affordable Clean Energy

I support the following legislative initiatives created for the Power to the People Campaign:

• An immediate rollback and freeze of electricity rates, followed by an introduction of a system of regulatory controls aimed at protecting the public interest.
• Establishment of publicly owned, publicly accountable energy utilities, and new regional electrical or energy cooperatives.
• Development of green building codes and programs to provide assistance for the retrofitting of homes and businesses, with first priority going to low-income housing.
• Increased state and local support for public mass transit, smart urban planning, a clean cars program, and other measures to promote sustainable transportation.
• Raising energy-efficiency requirements for electrical appliances sold in Illinois.
• Major campaign finance reform, which would prevent utilities and other for-profit corporations from exerting powerful influence on the election process.
• A strong renewable energy standard requiring utilities to obtain at least 25% of their power from renewable sources by the year 2020.
• Development of water-usage policy that promotes accountability and equity in water-use, distribution, and treatment-including publicizing industrial/commercial water-use data.