(The Center Square) – As Illinois continues to set aside state and federal tax dollars to so-called “clean energy” programs, some are calling for a different direction.
Standing alongside Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker Friday, U.S. EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore announced the state is receiving $500 million across two different grants. The taxpayer funds will be used to fund the Biden-Harris administration’s policies to combat “climate change.”
What may happen with an incoming Donald Trump administration with a Republican controlled U.S. Congress isn’t quite clear.
“I can’t speak to what might happen,” Shore said. “We are just working as hard as possible to make sure that those funds that Congress allocated get dispersed and deployed in a way that makes a difference in people’s lives.”
State Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, said Illinois needs to take a different approach as Trump looks to shore up federal spending.
“We need to cut our deficits and they’re going to start looking at these subsidies that only benefit a few,” Caulkins said.
Trump will be inaugurated Jan. 20.
Unveiling a new state taxpayer-funded electric vehicle charging station at a park district in Joliet Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker touted his record in advancing so-called “clean energy.”
“Since my earliest days in office, the General Assembly and I have relentlessly pursued one of the most ambitious climate agenda’s in the nation,” Pritzker said. “Reducing air pollution from transportation is vital to a healthy future for our children and for our planet.”
Caulkins said “you can’t force people into EVs.” He expects the incoming Trump administration to be aggressive on energy policy and encourage the burning of coal and natural gas and drilling for oil.
“We are going to miss out on opportunities because we can’t supply the electricity at an affordable rate,” Caulkins said. “And if we don’t fall in line with the rest of the country, we are going to be the rust bucket. We will continue to decline. Companies are gonna leave.”
Pritzker signed legislation in 2021 to make way for the closure of coal-burning power plants by 2024.