I know that the news coming from the state capitol these days is discouraging. And, yes, all the gridlock gets frustrating for me too. But that’s why I’d like to share some “good news” with you. What would you say if I told you that just this summer we were able to pass legislation that saved the taxpayers $75 million, put hundreds of people to work, and was good for the environment to boot? Indeed, all three can be found in a new project at Eastern Illinois University that just won legislative approval. But wait, it gets better: if this project were to be put on the backs of students alone – it would raise tuition for the average student by $2400! “How,” you ask, “are hundreds of construction jobs being created at no cost to the students or the taxpayers?” Read on.
After years of planning and preparation, EIU devised a method to replace its 1920’s-era coal-fired steam plant with a new state of the art Energy Center that would be powered by renewable fuel sources. And they devised a way to finance it entirely by using the money saved from the conversion of antiquated and expensive mechanical systems to new energy efficient and, therefore, less costly systems. All they needed was a change in state law. The legislation (which became law in June) sponsored by myself and Sen. Dale Righter allows Eastern to leverage the dollars saved to amortize the upfront project costs over time. Bottom line: this project creates jobs, is great for the environment, and saves student’s and local taxpayer’s $75 million! It’s a win/win/win proposition.
In addition to being a boon for our area, this creative and innovative project represents exactly the type of solutions we need to be focusing on in Illinois in order to get our state budget and economy back on track. One need only look at what will be accomplished just with this one project: reliable, low cost energy, greatly reduced maintenance costs, reduced CO2 emissions, and much-needed jobs for families in our community. If one building replacement nets a $75 million economic impact locally, imagine the impact and savings to the taxpayers if similar strategies are implemented at all state facilities in Illinois!
Finally, readers should know that this was truly a bi-partisan effort. And I want to thank our local building trades unions as well as the contractors and professional organizations who helped work on the legislation, as well as credit Governor Quinn for recognizing the importance of this project to not just our area but for the potential impact that this strategy represents for the future of our state.
Chapin Rose
State Rep for 110th district
Member of the Environment and Energy and Higher Education Appropriation Committees