A weekly update on issues from Illinois State Senator Gary Forby

Earlier this year, there was a lot of discussion about cap-and-trade laws. Cap-and-trade is a way to reduce pollution-especially carbon emissions. Though this is a national issue, I want to explain my take on the situation. I support efforts to lower pollution levels, but I do not believe that cap-and-trade is the best answer. It will affect some industries and regions of the country much more than others. Unless the law includes careful safeguards, some companies could go out of business. The cities and towns that rely on those companies could see their economies shrink, and thousands, maybe millions of people could lose their jobs. I believe Southern Illinois is one of those regions that might be hit hard by cap-and-trade laws. Two major local industries-coal mining and agriculture-could be hurt.

The law’s effect on coal mining would probably be indirect, but substantial. Burning coal is a major source of carbon emissions. Scientists are working to create clean-coal technology that will allow us to burn coal without producing so much pollution. I strongly support efforts to develop this technology and worked for years to help Illinois win a major federally-funded clean-coal power plant, the first large plant of its kind in the country. After years of bargaining, the national government selected Mattoon, Illinois as the site of the FutureGen clean-coal plant, a major victory. I predict that as we build more plants of this kind and perfect the technology, demand for coal will only increase. Unfortunately, this process might take years, but we are already seeing an increased demand for Illinois coal. With private and public investments, Southern Illinois’ coal industry is recovering and expanding. Several new mines have opened recently or will open soon, bringing thousands of jobs to the area. Until clean-coal technology becomes the standard rather than the exception, a cap-and-trade law could devastate the coal industry and undo years of careful work.

Looking at the agricultural industry, I am mostly concerned for small farmers. Depending on the final form of the cap-and-trade law, some commonly used agricultural chemicals could be affected. Livestock farmers could also be affected because their animals’ waste releases environmentally-damaging gases. The way cap-and-trade works, businesses are given a certain number of credits for their emissions. Basically, they are told they can release a certain amount of pollution. If they do not release as much pollution as expected, they can sell their extra credits to businesses that must pollute more than the government anticipated. I imagine large agricultural conglomerates will be able to buy any extra credits they need, but I am worried that privately-owned farms and smaller agricultural companies might not be able to afford to pay for their extra pollution credits. Small farms already struggle to make ends meet. I do not think they need any extra burdens.

Because cap-and-trade laws could hurt Southern Illinois’ economy, I will continue to oppose them. I will fight any state-level cap-and-trade initiatives, and I will do what I can to convince our representatives in the U.S. Congress to vote against cap-and-trade plans. However, I do believe we need to protect the environment. I will continue to support plans that will help the environment without hurting workers, like green technology development and green job training.