If state Rep. Marcus Evans has his way, Chicago will enter the race to build the first offshore wind farm on the Great Lakes. Evans has introduced a bill that lays the groundwork for a proposed wind farm in Lake Michigan, about 10 miles from the shores of the Southeast Side. The bill sets up a fund that would help the state to compete for federal money, including $230 million for port infrastructure projects available from the U.S. Department of Transportation. — Chicago Tribune
Evans introduced the bill, the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot Program Act, in January. The legislation would establish a path toward creating the offshore wind farm by allowing the state to apply for federal infrastructure funds. The proposal promises to create over 1,200 jobs, primarily occupied by underrepresented populations, an aim bolstered by its potential location near Black and Latino communities. The bill has since been referred to a House committee.
Illinois will face competition from Ohio and New York state in its quest to be the first home of an offshore wind farm via the Great Lakes as the two states are developing plans to respectively establish farms in Lake Erie.
As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the initiative has garnered support from local community groups, however, there remain reservations due to concerns over whether the promise to reserve jobs created from the proposed bill for Black people would be kept. Blacks in Green, a green community economic development nonprofit based in Chicago’s South Side, is withholding its support until relevant labor unions provide a structured plan for racial diversity and inclusion.
3 Comments
Ugly. Build them inland
Beautiful! Build them where we can see them from the park!
Migration birds will swarm
On any motherclucker in a feathered uniform
Just 'cause I'm from the CPT, punk birdies are afraid of me
A young wind turbine on a warpath
And when I'm finished, it's gonna be a birdbath
Of birds, dyin' in Chicago
Yo wind turbine, I got somethin' to say.
F Tha Birds - FT. Yung Turbine
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