(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Renewable energy. Federal money. Local jobs. Illinois lawmakers are calling the “Rust Belt to Green Belt” program a win-win-win.
The idea is to build offshore wind ports. State Rep. Edgar Gonzalez (D–Chicago) said he’s totally here for it.
“In short, it’s a very good thing, it’s about d--- time that we do this, and I’m very excited that we’re able to bring good jobs to the Southeast Side of Chicago — hopefully across the whole shore,” Gonzalez said. “Inflation and the energy crisis [have] been affecting everybody. It’s a matter of investing in future generations by investing in this current generation.”
State Sen. Robert Peters (D–Chicago) said the plan would see Illinois take advantage of federal money to jumpstart the offshore wind pilot project, which Peters added would bring thousands of quality jobs to Black and brown communities on the Southeast Side.
“We saw the smokestacks and steel mills go down and yet those communities aren’t given the jobs that they deserve and that they need,” Peters said. “This is an opportunity for us to re-engage an industrial revolution that is built on a dream.
Peters said when he first heard about the plan to build offshore wind farms in Lake Michigan, he thought this could be a way to go “from Rust Belt to Green Belt.”
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