Rallying for Clean and Affordable Buildings

After we filled the room and made public comments against the Peoples Gas rate hike at the Illinois Commerce Commission, we gathered outside City Hall along with coalition partners from the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition to call on Chicago City Council and Mayor Brandon Johnson to pass the Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance (CABO). The ordinance is an important first step to begin the long-term transition off the gas system and towards all-electric buildings. 

CABO would set emission standards for new buildings such that, starting in late 2025, all new buildings would be all-electric. It would also commit Chicago to crafting a “Building Performance Standard,” a mechanism to reduce emissions in the city’s largest buildings through energy efficiency and electrification.

Our group held signs with messages including “Healthy Buildings Now,” “Lower Heating Bills,” and “Protect Kids Health.” Both speakers at the rally, Rev. Veronica Johnson, a Southside pastor and Outreach Director for Faith in Place, and Jim Chilsen, Director of Communications for the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), spoke to the burden of paying too much for gas and to the health risks from gas emissions polluting our homes. They also noted that, since the transition to clean energy homes requires a long-term transition, the process should begin now. 

The City Council and the Mayor can and should start that process now by passing the Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance.