* OK, make sure you’re not eating when you read my Sun-Times column this morning. Please, put down that bagel. Set aside your croissant. You’ll thank me later. Ready? Begin…
I was thinking the other day about what sort of governor Pat Quinn ought to be now that the election is over, and for some odd reason I flashed back to an old buddy I haven’t seen in a decade.
Years ago, I had a little cabin in the Missouri woods. My neighbors would get together on weekend evenings around a campfire, drink beer and tell stories.
One of my neighbors was a factory worker who had been laid off from Boeing and eventually ended up working at a different factory for half the pay. He wasn’t ever bitter, though, and he’d do anything for anybody.
My friend also had a fascinating ability to mimic a hoot owl. He’d hoot for a few minutes and pretty soon all the trees surrounding the campfire would be filled with owls, hooting back at him, their eyes glowing from the reflection of the blaze.
It always gave me a spooky rush, and I begged him more times than I can remember to do it again. He never once failed.
One evening, my buddy showed up at the fire pit with a big bandage on his left cheek. I asked him what happened.
He said he had been out hunting with his dogs in a field not far from where we were sitting. He was slowly making his way through a stand of tall grass when suddenly a copperhead snake jumped up and bit him hard on his cheek.
Talk about a spooky rush. I didn’t know copperheads could even leap, and because we weren’t far from where my pal was attacked, I nervously scanned my surroundings before asking what he did next.
“You mean after I screamed?” he said with a laugh.
Yeah. After you screamed.
Well, he said, the snake wouldn’t let go of his cheek, even though he tried and tried to pry its head loose from his face. Nobody could help him because he was alone except for his dogs. So, he said, he grabbed that snake with one hand, pulled out his hunting knife with the other and cut the copperhead’s body off from its head.
Then he walked back to his car, with the copperhead’s fangs still embedded in his cheek, and drove himself to the nearest emergency room.
I almost fainted just listening to his tale. I bet I’ve probably lost a few readers by now as well. You don’t expect to see a crazy scary snake story when you pick up the Chicago Sun-Times.
But if I could force Quinn to model himself on anyone, it would be my long-ago friend.
Figuratively, of course. Quinn doesn’t have to learn to hoot like an owl, but the governor does need to do a far better job of attracting state legislators to his side whenever he speaks.
Quinn’s post-election boasts about his supposed “mandate” for a tax increase did nothing but shoo away the General Assembly’s hoot owls. It seems like he loses support every time he opens his mouth. The object is to pass your bills, not kill them.
And some of those Springfield bosses make angry, leaping copperheads look downright tame.
Quinn has a galling habit of flip-flopping whenever they bite him, which is the Statehouse equivalent of lying down to die.
Nobody ever helps him out when this happens because he annoyingly refuses to lay any groundwork and do any real planning before he acts.
So, he’s left alone to deal with his wounds, and it ain’t pretty.
Please, governor. Learn.
* In other news, the gaming expansion bill has hit a new roadblock. Black Caucus members won’t support it…
It’s never easy to expand gaming here, and that’s just one reason why. By the time you please everybody who can kill your bill, it’s too heavy to move. Or, in the local parlance, the Christmas Tree collapses under its own weight.
State revenue from gambling in the past fiscal year was the lowest in 10 years, the result of both the poor economy and Illinois’ indoor smoking ban, a new report said. […]
“However, the numbers continue to suggest that the biggest contributor to the drop in Illinois casino revenues is the indoor smoking ban,” the report concluded.
Since the ban took effect in January 2008, adjusted gross receipts at Illinois casinos dropped 28 percent. The report said both admissions and receipts took hits after the ban went into effect.
“Illinois riverboat totals are significantly worse than the riverboat totals of states surrounding Illinois,” the COGFA report says. “Therefore … it appears that the indoor smoking ban has continued to have a major negative impact on the riverboat industry.”
* Roundup…
* Disclosure Fight Looms in Springfield: Open-records advocates are preparing for a fight in Springfield next week over the lingering effort to make performance evaluations of public employees exempt from the state’s freedom-of-information law. State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia, Democrat of Aurora, is leading the effort to override Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of a bill that would have exempted the evaluations. Mr. Quinn sent the legislation back to the House in July, narrowing the exempt list to law-enforcement personnel.
* Did aliens take over the Chicago Tribune editorial board? The reason I ask is the paper ran two editorials today about state politics that were actually well-written and on an even keel. They didn’t once go all nutso on us.
There are two significant distinctions between what happened in Iowa and what [state Rep. Greg Harris] seeks in Illinois.
First, this would not be a case of the courts creating a right that’s not supported by the public. Harris’ legislation would be an expression of the public through their representatives in the Illinois House and Senate. […]
We do not think lawmakers in most parts of this state would face a backlash for a vote in favor of civil unions. The public largely is supportive. This doesn’t engender as strong an emotional response as gay marriage. A vote for civil unions in Illinois would be a remarkable step, a fair step.
Legislative action is “an expression of the public through their representatives in the Illinois House and Senate”? Well, yeah, but I haven’t seen the Tribune say that in I don’t know how long. Usually, legislators are corrupt, arrogant and completely unrepresentative of the public interest.
Whether you agree with civil unions or not, this editorial was, indeed, “a remarkable step, a fair step” by the paper.
* Hey, I’m not complaining. I’m just shocked, that’s all. Pleasantly shocked, but shocked nonetheless. Check out the end of today’s other editorial opposing the current policy of allowing seniors to ride free on mass transit…
We hope legislative leaders deliver to Quinn a more sensible means for handling senior riders. If Quinn issues a veto, we hope legislators override him and bring this notion of free rides to an end.
Not “We demand,” or “We insist,” or “We’re gonna stomp Madigan and Cullerton into oblivion if they dare disobey us,” but “We hope.”
We hope?
Seriously, was there a coup over there or something? Whatever happened, I’m all for it. Reason, moderation, logic, intelligence, facts. The high road rather than the high hat.
I could get used to this.
* And I’m so ecstatic that I’m not even going to think about cynically suggesting that the Tribune Company’s 5 percent interest in the Chicago Cubs has anything to do with this new editorial board attitude. Nope. Not in the least. Not gonna go there. Nobody ever influences that editorial board.
Heck, this new Ricketts Field bond plan which will be sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton isn’t even a horrible deal for the state. See? I hate all things Cub, but this $300 million borrowing proposal to renovate the park has no direct state cash involved. The city and county might say different, but that’s their problem…
In 2009, the Cubs paid $16.1 million in amusement taxes to the city of Chicago and Cook County through a 12 percent levy on each ticket. The team proposes that the city and county would be guaranteed this amount for the duration of the bonds. But the incremental growth in amusement taxes beyond $16.1 million, either through increased ticket sales or increased ticket prices at Wrigley, would pay the bonds over time, Ricketts said.
The Cubs owner, though, is seeking a safety net in case the amusement tax does not cover the bond payments. Ricketts would like the bonds to be backed by revenue streams that are assigned to the facilities authority, including a 2 percent hotel tax.
The financing plan requires the approval of the Illinois General Assembly. Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, will sponsor the legislation and plans to move it forward in the veto session that begins next week, said his spokesman, John Patterson.
“The state has no credit risk here,” Ricketts said. “No one is losing anything. It’s not a new tax, and it’s not increasing taxes. It will allow us to keep some of the growth in a tax.”
I’d prefer they just bulldoze that decrepit stadium into the lake, which would be a whole lot cheaper, but I guess they could at least fix it up a bit.
“The Civic Federation would urge caution before embracing any plans for $300 million in borrowing by a state agency if it does not relate to the overall financial stability of the state,” said President Laurence Msall. “The state of Illinois faces an enormous financial crisis and will be needing all of its borrowing power just to pay its bills and to continue to operate.”
Meh. Since when has the Tribune ever listened to Msall.
* Yesterday, I praised Gov. Pat Quinn for his cheesehead beatdown over federal high speed rail money, and for his laudatory push for wind power jobs.
But how about we take care of our existing businesses as well? For instance…
The Rialto Square Theatre was promised $2.2 million in the state capital bill passed 16 months ago. The Rialto still doesn’t have the money and won’t get it any sooner than spring or summer.
Getting it then may not be a sure bet either.
“We do live in the state of Illinois,” said Rialto Executive Director Randy Green, alluding to the state’s financial troubles when asked how sure he is that the money is coming.
The amount of overdue payments the state owes to providers of substance abuse prevention and treatment programs increased by $12 million in the span of a month.
According to the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA), the state owed $34 million at the beginning of October, and it now owes $46 million — in some cases, on bills that are seven months overdue.
Sarah Howe, spokesperson for the IADDA, said providers throughout the state are in danger of soon being unable to pay employees. “The next payroll out, the one after that, they are potentially going to have to miss it.”
Howe said that many providers have stopped offering essential services, such as detox programs, sending individuals seeking help to local emergency rooms. She said specialized substance abuse treatment providers are more equipped to handle such procedures, and sending those in need to hospitals costs taxpayers more and clogs up emergency medical treatment facilities. “I cannot think of a provider that hasn’t had to do something as far as curtailing services,” Howe said.
* And while Quinn one-upped those crazy badgers to the North, we’re losing out - again - to the Hoosiers…
A new study found Illinois is not keeping up with some neighboring states on job creation in the solar power industry. […]
According to the report, as of August 2010, more than 93,000 people nationwide work in solar power, and half of companies in that field expect to hire new employees in the next year. Those jobs include manufacturing, installation and sales. There are solar companies in every state, but the industry is mainly concentrated in the western and northeastern parts of the country. California leads the nation with 30 percent of all solar related businesses and more than 36,000 solar jobs.
Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana and Ohio all made it into the report’s top 20 states for solar job creation, but Illinois did not.
According to the research, Illinois has about 530 solar-related jobs with a projected growth to nearly 700 jobs by 2011. That compares with Indiana — ranked 10th in the country for solar employment and growth — with more than 1,600 jobs and projected growth to more than 1,800 by 2011.
Sen. Mike Jacobs, chair of the Senate energy committee, said alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar, may not yet be consistent enough to rely upon, and lawmakers should be judicious when considering tax breaks or subsidies. He is concerned about asking consumers, especially in a down economy, to pay more for power. Jacobs, an East Moline Democrat, said it is a constant balancing act to keep old power sources thriving while still encouraging development of renewable energy.
“Everybody is really interested in jobs. … I just don’t think weakening incumbent utilities who provide us cheaper power is a good trade-off for us,” Jacobs said.
A war of words is heating up between Wisconsin Gov.-elect Scott Walker and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn over job creation.
The Republican Walker said Thursday he plans to persuade Illinois companies to come to Wisconsin. He says he’ll emphasize that Quinn has proposed massive tax increases. […]
She says even with Quinn’s proposal of a 1 percent tax for education, Illinois’ individual income tax rate would be 4 percent. Wisconsin’s ranges from 4.6 percent to 7.75 percent.
Gov.-elect Scott Walker says he wants to set up a fund to help startup companies in Wisconsin.
Walker offered no details Thursday, but he told the Early Stage Symposium at Monona Terrace the fund would represent a public-private partnership.
“We’re going to focus in on small businesses,” he said, opening the second day of the two-day gathering of young technology company leaders and investors.
Walker reiterated his campaign pledge to declare an “economic emergency” and hold a special legislative session on jobs with a package including personal income tax cuts for employers with 50 or fewer workers; streamlined regulations; and an end to the state tax on health savings accounts.
Walker handed Quinn a big public relations success, but Quinn might still learn from the guy.
* I’ve changed my mind and I’m not moving to Chicago for the mayoral election. I made my decision last Wednesday evening when I finally realized I just couldn’t take another campaign right now. And I’m feeling much better about it as I scan this week’s mayoral campaign stories.
A fourth possible candidate, Rob Halpin, said he’s been contacted by politicians- presumably Emanuel’s opponents- to make a run. He’s been living in Emanuel’s house since the former White House chief of staff left for Washington, D.C.
Halpin, 50, is a industrial real estate developer. The married father of three said he knows as much as any other candidate about what the city of Chicago needs. […]
“What I’m hearing is it may cost me some money to get some signatures and get some assistance in the other areas,” said Halpin. “I’d have to consider that when we get to that, which will be soon.” […]
“Anybody that knows me will tell you this is not a stunt, and I wouldn’t be involved with anything like that,” said Halpin.
Yeah. OK.
* Carol Moseley-Braun’s plan to fix the city’s budget and put more police officers on the street to combat gang violence made me cringe…
I propose bringing all of us together to work on these issues
Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel — better known in some political quarters as “Rahmbo” — found himself the target of an incoming egg during a stop Wednesday in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, NBC Chicago reports. The egg missed Emanuel, who is expected to make an official announcement soon that he’s running for mayor — and the egg thrower remained unidentified, the TV station reported.
Actually, if you watch the video, Emanuel stayed almost completely focused on what he was doing while the egg flew by. That may be the best indication yet that he’s mayoral material.
OK, see what I mean? I’m actually suggesting that that an egg-throwing incident brings out the best in a candidate. I just can’t do it any more.
* And Emanuel’s response to the parking meter deal was a big bumbler…
“I do have a problem because the money was not used for its original intended purpose, which was to invest in key infrastructure, investments in making the city a more productive city economically so you can grow jobs,” he said.
Despite Emanuel’s comments, none of the proceeds from the $1.15 billion parking meter lease were designated for infrastructure improvements.
Lance Cpl. James Stack was in the thick of combat in Afghanistan during his first overseas deployment with his U.S. Marine unit, but he never expressed any fears to his family.
Instead, the 20-year-old former Arlington Heights resident wrote about his determination to excel at the tough job he was doing.
The body of Staff Sergeant Jordan Emrick arrived at the MidAmerica airport near St. Louis Thursday afternoon. A Marine honor guard escorted his casket on its return to Illinois.
The 26-year-old was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan last Friday while serving his third deployment. Emrick joined the Marines shortly after graduating from Nashville High School in 2002.
The two met Tuesday for the first time, after what Preckwinkle described as months of “zero” cooperation, but it was of little help. Preckwinkle would only say it was “unfortunate” the session was “very short,” but influential Commissioner John Daley, D-Chicago, was less subtle.
“It lasted eight to 10 minutes — it was not good,” said Daley, who said he had discussed the meeting with Preckwinkle.
So Daley and all his colleagues plan to put Stroger and his top executives under the spotlight at Tuesday’s board meeting, where they will be asked to detail their transition efforts.
* You’ve undoubtedly read by now that a group of African-American leaders has chosen Congressman Danny Davis to be their standard-bearer in the mayor’s race.
But a poll commissioned by Davis himself, which for some reason he decided to circulate not long ago, actually shows he will have a very rough time against Rahm Emanuel if Davis manages to make it into the runoff. From Congressman Davis’ pollster…
Emanuel does well against Davis and Braun one-on-one, even when just looking at African-American voters and Hispanic voters. Emanuel received 45 percent of the African-American vote and 58 percent of the Hispanic vote, compared to 36 percent and 20 percent respectively for Davis. The numbers are similar one-on-one with Braun, but Braun does better with Hispanic voters.
This seems to be due to Emanuel’s name recognition and generally positive image. So, even if a coalition of African-American voters is possible, that does not guarantee success. However, there are a fair number of undecided voters so that adds another variable into the mix.”
If Rahm Emanuel gets 45 percent of the black vote against Davis in Davis’ own poll, then you have to wonder what he and that committee is thinking.
* And this has been going around for days. I’m not sure yet whether the labor poll actually exists, but there are some aldermen who cannot handle the idea of Rahm Emanuel for mayor and some of them are now turning to a guy who got almost 80 percent of the Chicago vote last week…
Defeated U.S. Senate hopeful Alexi Giannoulias appears to be at least toying with the idea of running for mayor. But as per my post of Wednesday, I’m still not convinced it’s real or that he’s doing anything except listening to some flattery at a time when he could use some.
In an e-mail on his way back from a post-election vacation, Mr. Giannoulias confirmed chatter that “I have received a lot of calls from aldermen and donors that I was absolutely not expecting.” Reportedly included in that group are City Council graybeards Ed Burke (14th) and Dick Mell (33rd), who don’t much like the idea of taking orders from a Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Mr. Giannoulias further confirmed that results of “a very strong (and flattering) poll” have been shown to him. Sources say the poll was conducted for a labor union and that it reportedly shows Mr. Giannoulias running six or seven points ahead of Mr. Emanuel.
“Does that mean that I’m running for mayor? No,” Mr. Giannoulias continued in his e-mail. “Is it stupid for me to say no, unequivocally, without even listening? Not sure yet.”
Thursday, Nov 11, 2010 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Part 1, Electric Rates.
Myth: Taylorville will put an “enormous economic burden” on consumers
Fact: The Clean Coal Portfolio Standard caps residential rate increases at 2.015%, or $1.67/month, according to the ICC.
Myth: Taylorville means rate increases now, when we can least afford it
Fact: Between now and 2015, the project will invest billions in Illinois, employ nearly 2,500 construction workers and purchase supplies from all corners of the state. The cost to ratepayers between now and 2015? ZERO. NOTHING. ZILCH.
Myth: Taylorville will dramatically increase electric rates for large business customers
Fact: Big business customers currently pay 40.5% less for electricity than residential and small business consumers. Even under their worst case scenario, large customers would still pay 37.1% less.
Myth: Illinois has plenty of electricity. No new plants are needed.
Fact: As Crain’s and others have reported, environmental regulations are expected to force 25-40% of Illinois coal plants to shut down by 2020. Since Illinois still relies on coal for half of our electricity, less supply and more demand means higher electric rates if cleaner supplies of reliable electricity, like Taylorville, are not built. And who benefits from that?
Americans think it is generally more important for political leaders to compromise to get things done (47%) rather than sticking to their beliefs (27%), but Republicans and Democrats hold differing views on the matter.
Republicans tilt more toward saying leaders should stick to their beliefs (41% to 32%), while Democrats more widely endorse compromise (by 59% to 18%).
Gallup used a 1 through 5 rating system, where “1″ meant it is more important for political leaders to “compromise in order to get things done,” while “5″ meant it is more important for political leaders to “stick to their beliefs even if little gets done.”
* The Question: Based on that 1-5 rating system, where do you stand? Explain.
Mayor Richard Daley [yesterday] suggested state government leaders should focus on cutting costs before raising taxes.
“First of all, you have to show the intent that you cut off waste, inefficiency, fraud, everything else,” Daley said. “So, they have to really show that. So, it’s up to them. You can’t just tell people, like here, I’m just going to raise taxes. You’d be thrown right out of City Hall. They want you to cut expenses, cut waste, inefficiency, reorganize and get a bank for the buck. That’s what they want. Simple as that.”
The mayor’s remarks came after Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s claim that he has a mandate to raise the income tax after campaigning on a tax-hike pledge and prevailing in last week’s governor election.
Quinn’s response? Not heartening…
At an unrelated news conference [yesterday], Quinn said he’s confident a tax increase will pass.
“I think members of the legislature need to have a rendezvous with reality. That’s what I would say. We’ve got to do what’s best for Illinois. The election’s over. It was over last week. So now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and work hard on what’s necessary for the people,” the governor said.
Quinn’s tax increase alone will barely make a dent in the state’s deficit, so he’s going to have to cut anyway. He might as well come up with at least a partial plan now. Earlier this week, all he could point to was eliminating the legislative scholarship plan. Yeah. That’ll help pass this tax hike. Watch…
A win is a win and Quinn won the election. But that doesn’t make him dictator. He can’t pass his tax hike by fiat. And he can’t wish away this budget deficit, either.
* One of the things that Gov. Pat Quinn gets right is his vocal support for alternative energy. And Illinois is at the center of wind power partly because of his work.
The Environmental Law and Policy Center has produced a new study identifying over 100 Illinois companies with 15,000 employees active in the “wind power supply chain.” The group also estimates that 17 manufacturing jobs are created for every megawatt of power developed. That means 2,500 jobs for a 150 megawatt utility-scaled wind farm.
Acciona, a $7 billion Spanish-based multinational corporation, develops and manages clean energy projects, operates a turbine assembly and has its North American headquarters in Chicago. Acciona has ownership interests in seven North American wind farms.
Invenergy has its global headquarters Chicago and it develops, owns and operates large scale renewable energy facilities in North America and Europe. The company has developed twenty U.S. wind farms, two of which are in Illinois, making it one of the nation’s largest independent wind energy producers.
Midwest Wind Energy, headquartered in Chicago, is a utility-scale wind farm developer, with a current project portfolio of over 5,000 megawatts of power in Illinois and the Midwest.
Naperville’s BroadWind Energy headquarters recently got a writeup in the local paper…
Naperville’s Broadwind Energy is a wind-industry holding company with four businesses: logistics, technical and engineering services, turbine tower construction and precision gearing systems manufacturing.
“We make the towers that the turbines go on and manufacture the gears that go in the gear boxes, and we also have a service business that maintains the turbines,” said Broadwind spokesman John Segvich on Tuesday.
According to Segvich, Broadwind began in 2006 in Manitowoc, Wis., and moved to Naperville in March 2008. The 800-person company serves wind farm developers and operators throughout the United States. While Naperville is its corporate headquarters, Broadwind operates a gear-manufacturing plant in Cicero and a turbine plant in Texas.
“The services business is pretty much where the customers need them,” Segvich said, adding that the company chose to move to Naperville to be near a major international business center.
All those headquarters need lawyers, CPAs, caterers, programmers, insurance, public relations specialists, and on and on and on.
* But there’s also a more direct benefit. A. Finkl & Sons is gearing up to supply the industry with high grade steel for turbines. Winergy Drive Systems, a division of Siemens, just opened its second turbine production facility in Elgin. The company employs 500 Illinoisans. There’s lots more. Read the report.
* This is clearly a growth industry for Illinois, and the state needs to do even more. A new state law that allows school districts to cut deals with wind farm companies is starting to pay dividends for districts like Warrensburg-Latham, which is near Decatur…
Emmett Aubry was tired of hearing complaints about the wind and decided to find a way to put it to good use.
Aubry, the Warrensburg-Latham schools superintendent, told those at the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce Ag Café luncheon Monday that what he found could help not only the school district but provide a boost to the area’s economy.
“When you come to Warrensburg for a football game at the high school, it will blow you off the hill top,” Aubry said. “We griped about it a lot.”
A nearly $400 million wind farm is planned for 10,000 acres of leased land outside Warrensburg, Aubry said. The school district sits on what would be the northeast corner of the farm, he said. […]
The project would create 300 construction jobs and 22 permanent jobs, Aubry said. Many of the workers would be trained in a newly-developed wind technician training program at Richland Community College in Decatur.
* What about price? There is an argument that the price differential between wind and what we have now is just too great. But Illinois Wind Daily (yes, there is such a publication) makes a good point…
An article in this weekend’s New York Times highlights an interesting hurdle facing the wind industry during the current economic crisis: state utility commissions are viewing renewable power supply contracts as too expensive in comparison to standard power supply contracts. This issue has been problematic for wind projects in Illinois and other states, but could be a short-sighted perspective because power prices are now at historic lows.
They’re low because of the recession. They’ll eventually go back up again, but this wind industry opportunity will be gone by then if we lay back now.
* And as long as the market is out there, we need to not only stay in the game, but lead it and help pave the way. For instance, people tend to believe they “own” the sightlines from their property. That’s pretty silly, but it seems to be a natural inclination. I know I can feel the same way. But too often, a tiny handful of rural neighbors are allowed to stop or greatly slow down wind farm projects…
The [Marshall County] board’s approval came over the objections of several residents who live in the area where the 16 turbines will be located. Rebecca Donna, an Illinois Valley Community College professor who also had objected at an earlier Zoning Board of Appeals hearing, said the turbines will reduce quality of life and property values for residents not involved in the project.
“There are 31 residents (in that category),” Donna said. “I know that’s not a lot of people, but I think the county should consider those people. It will very negatively impact our lives.”
* What we also don’t need is for ComEd to continue dragging its feet. The company has so far prevented a bill from passing that would extend a provision in state law that only allows the company to apply only renewable energy sources from Illinois to its minimum alternative energy mandate. ComEd wants to import wind-generated power from out of state instead. Legislators need to be for Illinois jobs, not utility games. If this bill isn’t properly drafted, then the players need to come up with a new one. But soon. As with everything else, we’re in competition with other states and other countries in this industry.
We have lots of coal here, and clean coal technology needs to be invested in as well. Environmental regulations are trending harshly against coal these days, so we can either do nothing and stick with the old technology and be left behind (once again), or kick it up ten notches and get out in front of the changes coming our way, whether we like it or not.
Gov. Pat Quinn says a Wisconsin trainmaker is welcome to move its jobs to Illinois.
Quinn is inviting Talgo Inc. to come to the state after Wisconsin’s newly elected Republican governor said he wanted to give back federal money for a proposed high-speed rail project or use it for something else.
Quinn sent a letter to the Milwaukee company Wednesday. He says Illinois will do whatever it can to lure them.
A Spanish-owned train company would seriously consider moving its plant from Milwaukee to Illinois in 2012 if Governor-elect Scott Walker follows through on his vow to kill a planned high-speed rail line, a company executive said Wednesday night. […]
“If Wisconsin is losing its enthusiasm for its rail program and others are not, we could go to Illinois and manufacture world-class trains there,” said Nora Friend, Talgo vice president for public affairs and business development. “We certainly appreciate Gov. Quinn reaching out to us. We will consider very seriously states that want to grow their rail program.”
* The federal government has allocated $810 million to Wisconsin to build the high-speed train line. Gov. Quinn had this to say several days ago about the Wisconsin governor-elect’s campaign promise to halt the Milwaukee to Chicago project…
I just heard from Ray LaHood today, he called and said, ‘Well, Wisconsin might not want the money for high speed rail.’ We’re here, here we are. We’ll be happy to take it. You know, anything we can grab hold of
Walker, meanwhile, made another pitch to use the stimulus money for roads instead. He wrote U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, saying that voters across the country chose new governors who are against using transportation money for passenger trains. And the Republican Walker said, quote, “I believe it would be unwise for the Obama administration to ignore the will of the voters.” LaHood said on Monday that the $810-million would have to be spent on trains – or else it would go to another state for its trains.
But House Republican Tom Petri of Fond du Lac said Congress probably wouldn’t be much help to Walker. He said the law would have to be changed to use the money for roads – and states like Illinois that want the train funding would never vote for that. Walker is against having Wisconsin pay the train’s operating costs once its built.
“None of the money provided to Wisconsin may be used for road and highway projects, or anything other than high-speed rail. Consequently, unless you change your position, we plan to engage in an orderly transition to wind down Wisconsin’s project so that we do not waste taxpayers’ money,” wrote LaHood.
Oof.
* And despite potentially losing jobs and nearly a billion dollars in transportation money, the Wisconsin governor-elect is not backing down…
“Gov.-elect Scott Walker is going to fulfill his campaign promise to stop the construction of the Madison-Milwaukee train line,” Walker spokesman John Hiller said in a statement. “He will also fulfill his campaign promise to create an economic environment that allows the private-sector to create 250,000 new jobs.”
Yeah, well, that Wisconsin project would’ve created 5,500 construction jobs over the next three years. And then there are all those Talgo jobs.
If Illinois receives the money, it could “add insult to injury” because Wisconsinites would still be burdened with the Illinois tolls while traveling to Chicago, but the toll payoffs would not be returned, [Jay Heck, executive director for Common Cause in Wisconsin] said.
