LTE: Make clean energy a priority

Carolyn Casady Trimble Letter to the Editor | News-Gazette

Make clean energy a priority

I am concerned about the world we are creating.

Fortunately, I have been able to enjoy clean air and clean water. I want the same for my grandchildren. Asking your state legislators to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act now is a positive step.

On Nov. 11, the New York Times had an article, “Renewable Energy Gains Ground, Even in Pandemic.” The article quotes the International Energy Agency: “Consumption of electricity generated by wind, solar and hydroelectric sources will grow nearly 7 percent in 2020, a remarkable jump because overall energy demand will slump by 5 percent, the steepest drop since WWII.”

Illinois needs to be on the receiving side of this gain. Coal and oil are energy sources of the past. The problems they bring are well known. Wind and solar, and the jobs associated with them, are our future.

With the provisions of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, Illinois will be well positioned to take advantage of the growth in Clean Energy. Illinois can enhance its desirability as a place for businesses to locate and for people to live and work.

More important, our investments now in clean energy and its jobs will help us leave a cleaner, more sustainable world for our grandchildren. We all are entitled to clean air and water. These things are threatened by the extraction, use and transportation of oil and coal.

Renewable energy and the jobs it brings are our hope for the future.

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