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* Background is here if you need it. My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
While a huge cloud of coal ash exploded around Springfield’s coal-fired electric power plant on Tuesday afternoon, Illinois’ top three Democrats huddled in a conference room at the Statehouse trying to find a way to slash power plant carbon emissions in the state to zero by 2045.
The irony was both unmistakable and irresistible.
The giant ash plume, caused by an equipment failure, dissipated hours later. But by then it also was clear that any attempt to pass a climate/energy bill by the end of the day was doomed — and that was a human failure.
The Senate’s Democrats have controlled the negotiations on the climate/energy bill for more than two years, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office obviously has wanted to take control of the process from the start. They just think they know better, on this and many other topics.
That conflict has led to untold sniping, which is not surprising given that Pritzker and Senate President Don Harmon have battled since even before the governor backed a candidate against Harmon in the Senate president’s race in early 2020.
Pritzker walked away from the energy talks at the end of this past spring session when Harmon wouldn’t agree to close the state’s two municipally owned coal-fired electric power plants in Springfield and the Metro East by 2035. Pritzker again walked away in mid-June when Harmon tried to piggyback onto the week’s session agenda of correcting the House appropriations bill’s many fatal mistakes with a bill to fix the climate/energy bill. But Harmon ultimately couldn’t unite unions and environmentalists on the new legislation, though Pritzker by then had agreed to extend the coal plant closure dates to 2045.
Then history repeated itself last week when the General Assembly’s focus was supposed to be on the legislative remap do-over. Harmon couldn’t close the climate/energy deal talks amidst numerous large and small objections from the governor and the greens. Blame Harmon, blame Pritzker, blame whomever. The talks failed.
Three strikes, you’re out, etc., so now the ball is in Pritzker’s court. Harmon finally surrendered control and punted a climate/energy bill to the House, where Speaker Chris Welch has warned both Pritzker and Harmon that he isn’t moving a bill unless all three agree to it.
Harmon’s game plan obviously has been to appease trade unions in order to fund his party’s redistricting-year campaigns in 2022. Speaker Welch has never expected to receive the same level of support from the white-dominated trade unions that flooded the kitty of his predecessor Michael Madigan, so he appears to be aligning himself with our billionaire governor to help fund the 2022 campaign season.
But, in reality, maybe it was time to hand all this over to fresh eyes, because what the Senate was doing just didn’t move the ball forward enough.
The proceedings last week often devolved into petty one-upmanship.
The week’s initial Senate Democratic proposal imposed such strict limitations on carbon emissions by municipally-owned electric power plants like Springfield’s CWLP and the Metro East’s gigantic Prairie State Energy Campus that there was no likely way either plant could survive until 2045, though no closure date was inserted into the legislation. But the governor had demanded a “date certain” closure for both plants, so the Senate Dems drastically revised their bill to allow the plants to pump out 100% of the carbon they are currently spewing all the way through to 2045, and only then would they have to stop.
No way would that be acceptable. It was an almost juvenile response.
The governor’s office countered with a combination of proposals: Scale down the coal plants’ carbon emissions over the years and then shut everything down in 2045. The proposal was rejected out of hand.
Senate President Harmon told reporters that he believed it was too uneconomical for the companies to both reduce their carbon footprint and stop production before they’d finished paying for their pollution-reduction efforts. The governor’s office believes the plants qualify for federal tax credits to subsidize the step-down, and they want time to convince Prairie State to take the money and the deal. Word is that an offer has been made directly to the electricity provider.
Unless attitudes change, the whole thing might just turn out to be too big for a state legislature to tackle. Harmon called the energy bill the most complicated piece of legislation he’s dealt with in 21 years. He’s probably right.
* This was issued last night by the governor’s office…
Negotiations on a comprehensive energy package that puts consumers and climate first continued this weekend with the shared goal of advancing legislation that will save jobs, gradually put Illinois on a path to clean energy in the years ahead, and foster job growth in clean energy industries. The administration looks forward to continuing discussions with our partners in the General Assembly.
Looks like optimism.
* “We are nearly there,” says the labor-backed Climate Jobs Illinois. But…
“Illinois’ labor community has a long, rich history of taking on and winning tough fights in the interests of working men and women, from advocating for safer working conditions to pressing for better wages and benefits that uplift families and provide greater opportunities for future generations.
As we celebrate this Labor Day, our coalition and our counterparts are taking on the greatest fight of our generation, with the threat of climate change growing every day.
We are convinced that we can win this fight but only if we work together by enacting a comprehensive clean energy bill that puts working people first, that expands opportunities for historically disinvested communities and that creates a just transition for workers in the fossil fuel industry.
We are nearly there.
A deal hinges on a singular albeit complicated issue. Labor has made significant compromises during this process, as have the other parties. We commit to continuing to work through the one remaining difference to reach an agreed bill.
We owe it to our members, to their families and to all future generations to continue this fight until we get it right. Put more simply, we cannot afford to fail. We urge the members of the House of Representatives to take up this bill and get it across the finish line.”
And it looks like the House will be back Thursday if they can get their act together by then. Some of you may have read a hugely optimistic take elsewhere this morning. But the take omitted the fact that organized labor is still not agreed on that “singular albeit complicated issue”: municipally owned coal-fired electric plants. I do think they’re making progress. I don’t think anybody is opening up the champagne, but I should know more later this morning.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 9:07 am
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Can the House muster the votes if organized labor is opposed? Is the Governor’s staff talking with organized labor? At least the Ethics Bill will get dealt with if the House meets this Thursday.
Comment by Kathy Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 9:31 am
Great stuff by Rich, bringing the inside politics out to bring clarity to the “one last hiccup”
To the post,
Harmon stalled and delayed the bill as long as he could for his labor constituency, even declaring “it’s not dead” back in the spring, which seems like years ago, then passes a bill that’s a punt, nowhere near what could pass the House or get signed, and left the honest work of compromise to the governor and Welch, who, both the Governor and Welch, need to now get something that is a win for everyone that Harmon decidedly wasn’t keen on getting.
There’s a great deal of drama right now, Welch not passing anything that isn’t fully agreed, that might make the Senate part of this ending more interesting
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 9:40 am
===Can the House muster the votes if organized labor is opposed?===
No.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 9:42 am
== The week’s initial Senate Democratic proposal imposed such strict limitations on carbon emissions by municipally-owned electric power plants…that there was no likely way either plant could survive until 2045, though no closure date was inserted. ==
That seems like a reasonable approach. Why fight over something that might or might not happen 24 years from now? I wouldn’t be surprised if the final agreement ends up looking a lot like that.
Comment by TNR Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 9:49 am
High of 89 in Portland, OR. today.
Comment by Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 10:05 am
=== puts working people first ===
How about their kids? Pour some money into clean energy investments, and retrain/train working people to continue to work in good-paying jobs in clean energy.
Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 10:06 am
Is the “greatest fight of our generation” climate or jobs? Because a “comprehensive clean energy bill that puts working people first” doesn’t seem focused on the climate.
Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 10:11 am
put climate and consumers first…TOO PAY
But that was expected non performing nukes. renewable, labor all taken care of by rate payers. And then the companies will dole out stuff like alaways… And…. We all know the rest
BTW will Durkie and other GOPies still vote yea like they did in May?
Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 10:22 am
“It was an almost juvenile response.”
Rich’s use of “almost” was very charitable.
– MrJM
Comment by MisterJayEm Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 10:32 am
===Because a “comprehensive clean energy bill that puts working people first” doesn’t seem focused on the climate.===
Did you miss the “clean” part that comprehensive clean energy bill?
===a huge cloud of coal ash exploded around Springfield’s coal-fired electric power plant===
I have yet to see an environmental disaster from a solar spill.
===too uneconomical for the companies to both reduce their carbon footprint and stop production before they’d finished paying for their pollution-reduction efforts===
A 20% stepdown in emission caps every 5 years might work. That paired with a rate setting policy that provides for guaranteed cost recovery, backstopped by state dollars from 2045 when the pension ramp ends, and you have soup.
Comment by thechampaignlife Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 11:24 am
thechampaignlife- “I have yet to see an environmental disaster from a solar spill.”
Regardless of the energy source, if thought is not put into the ultimate decommissioning of the source and its components, then we may well just be creating a new type of “spill”.
https://www.wired.com/story/solar-panels-are-starting-to-die-leaving-behind-toxic-trash/
Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 1:23 pm
If you have ever seen the environmental impact from a lithium mine, you may not be so sure about the enviro-friendly tag.
Comment by Blue Dog Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 2:53 pm
Most solar does not use batteries, and not all batteries are lithium.
@Anon221: Totally agree about considering the entire lifecycle, but there are manageable solutions for electronics recycling, and the alternative of coal mining, transportation, emissions, and waste have a far greater impact and immediate danger. Hydro, wind, solar, and nuclear all fit into the portfolio, all with their own issues, but all better than the status quo.
Comment by thechampaignlife Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 4:18 pm
Most EVs use lithium batteries. Anyone wanting to store solar energy would be hard pressed not to use lithium batteries.
Comment by Blue Dog Tuesday, Sep 7, 21 @ 5:14 pm