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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, On February 29, 2012, Midwest Generation
3announced that it would retire its two Chicago power plants as
4the result of an agreement with the City of Chicago and Mayor
5Rahm Emanuel, which was reached in consultation with community
6groups and aldermen; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Residents in communities neighboring these
8facilities, including Pilsen and Little Village, joined with a
9broad and diverse coalition of community, labor, health, faith,
10youth, and environmental organizations to form the Chicago
11Clean Power Coalition to advocate for the eventual retirement
12of these facilities as a part of a national transition to new
13energy sources; and
 
14    WHEREAS, the Clean Power Coalition partners include the
15following organizations: 8th Day Center for Justice, 49th Ward
16Green Corps, Action Now, Aerotecture International Inc.,
17American Renewable Energy & Power, LLC, American Medical
18Student Association-UIC, Blacks in Green, Bridgeport Alliance,
19Buddhist Peace Fellowship, CAPOW! Citizens Act to Protect Our
20Water, Chicago Youth Climate Coalition, Citizen
21Action/Illinois, Citizens Against Ruining the Environment,
22Citizens Committee for a Clean Blue Island, Collective
23Consciousness Movement, Consolidated Printing, David Weiner &

 

 

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1Associates, Design Makes Change, Doctors Council SEIU,
2Eco-Justice Collaborative, Energy Action Coalition,
3Environment Illinois, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Faith
4in Place, Gaia Movement USA, Green Guy Solutions, Green
5Sanctuary Group, Beverly Unitarian Church, Greenpeace, Growing
6Station Community Garden, KenJiva Energy Systems, Illinois
7Solar Energy Association, Illinois Student Environmental
8Coalition, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization,
9Loyola University's Student Environmental Alliance, Natural
10Resources Defense Council, Nuclear Energy Information Service,
11Oikos: The Religion and Environment Initiative, Peace
12Productions, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pilsen
13Alliance, Pilsen Environmental Rights & Reform Organization,
14Progressive Democrats of America, Protestants for the Common
15Good, Rainforest Action Network Chicago, Ravenswood Community
16Council, Resource Center, Respiratory Health Association of
17Metropolitan Chicago, Sierra Club, Southeast Environmental
18Task Force, Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation,
19SolAir Works, Inc., SAIC Student Environmental Activism Group,
20Students for a Just and Stable Future at the University of
21Chicago, Team 15 United, Topless America, Union of Concerned
22Scientists, Community Action Program at the UIC College of
23Medicine, Urban Sustain, Wellington Avenue UCC, and Windy City
24Green Power; and
 
25    WHEREAS, The timing of the decision to retire these

 

 

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1facilities, and the schedule for the retirement of these
2facilities, was the result of a process initiated by Mayor
3Emanuel; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Midwest Generation and the City of Chicago have
5entered into an agreement finding that the timetable for the
6retirement of these facilities achieves the objectives of the
7proposed Chicago Clean Power Ordinance; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The closure of these facilities will help the City
9of Chicago and the State of Illinois achieve their clean air
10goals; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The process undertaken by Midwest Generation and
12the City of Chicago included community, public health, and
13environmental groups, which agreed not pursue certain pending
14litigation against Midwest Generation; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Once operations at these facilities cease,
16Midwest Generation will maintain the facilities in a safe and
17prudent manner as redevelopment opportunities and funding are
18explored; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
20ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
21CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the

 

 

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1community residents and organizations of Pilsen and Little
2Village in Chicago, the Chicago Clean Power Coalition, and
3Midwest Generation for their work and leadership in reaching
4the agreed resolution to retire coal-fired power plants at the
5Fisk and Crawford stations in accordance with the goals and
6objectives of the proposed Chicago Clean Power Ordinance; and
7be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That we support the ongoing efforts to determine
9clean, new uses for these facilities and to transition these
10facilities to uses that improve the quality of life in these
11communities; and be it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That we acknowledge that thousands of hard
13working and dedicated men and women have worked at these
14facilities since the early 1900's producing the electricity
15that was essential to build the City of Chicago; and be it
16further
 
17    RESOLVED, That we urge the Governor and the agencies of the
18State of Illinois to support efforts to retire these facilities
19and to transition these facilities into uses that improve the
20quality of life in the communities in which they are located;
21and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to the Governor, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Midwest
2Generation, the Little Village Environmental Justice
3Organization, the Pilsen Alliance, the Pilsen Environmental
4Rights and Reform Organization, and the members of the Chicago
5Clean Power Coalition.