“The Impact of the Future Energy Jobs Act in DuPage County” event drew over 100 people interested in learning just that.
Local business and municipal leaders and residents joined the Illinois Sierra Club, the Illinois Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers Union, PowerForward DuPage, and the Resiliency Institute for a discussion about the Future Energy Jobs Act, or FEJA.
“And it’s going to empower all communities in Illinois to have clean energy, have solar installations. We wanted our local municipalities and park districts and school boards to know the benefits of FEJA and be able to try to access them as the regulations are defined. So this is an informational event for individual citizens as well as municipalities to learn how they can get clean energy in their communities,” said Connie Schmidt, the chair for the Illinois Sierra Club and DuPage Clean Power Team.
Passed by the Illinois general assembly in December 2016, FEJA aims to increase solar, wind, and other renewable energy by 25 percent by the year 2025, compared to 2005, while also creating many jobs in clean energy programs.
“In theory the marketplace will develop so that we’d like to see solar on rooftops like an appliance in a house where it’s very common and the market supports it. Then the prices come down, and it becomes a good energy source in that regard, and when it becomes a bigger thing at the utility scale. So this hopefully jumpstarts it in a big way,” said Tim Milburn, a member of the Illinois Solar Energy Association and in the Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus.
The event featured speakers from organizations such as the Illinois Solar Energy Association and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, each with their take on how to take advantage of the opportunities FEJA provides to Illinois and those in DuPage.
Organizers plan on hosting similar events in the future.
Naperville News 17’s Christine Lena reports.