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* The Sun-Times takes a look at the opposition to a legislative push to finally provide natural gas service to Pembroke Township, one of the poorest areas of the state…
“People here love the earth,” says Dr. Jifunza Wright-Carter, who farms 45 acres with her husband in Pembroke and promotes sustainable agriculture. “This natural gas pipeline has nothing to do with the wellbeing of our community. We don’t have to have it for our livelihood or economic development.”
Wright and her husband Fred Carter moved to Pembroke from Chicago about a dozen years ago, drawn by the history of what once was hailed as the largest Black farming community in the Northern United States. Through their nonprofit Black Oaks Center, they want to restore at least 1,000 acres there for sustainable family farming.
And the idea of a nearby pipeline carrying gas, especially at a time the world is moving away from fossil fuels, doesn’t mesh with their plans.
As many Illinois politicians talk about moving toward a clean energy future, [Hopkins Park Mayor Mark Hodge] has found support from U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Illinois, a number of state lawmakers and the Rev. Jesse Jackson to put more than 30 miles of natural gas pipeline in a poor, Black community in the name of economic development. It’s a debate that also has taken place elsewhere around the country.
To opponents who say it makes more sense to invest in renewable energy, Hodge says that’s too expensive. He points to one past estimate that it would cost $25 million to upgrade electrical distribution to allow for renewable sources.
Some are arguing that the area needs better sewer and water systems and broadband internet service, too. That definitely ought to be addressed in the state’s capital plan. It’s all a no-brainer.
The Black Oaks Center can still do its sustainable farming program if area residents can access natural gas. This is not an either-or proposition. But this is from the founders of the center…
In 2009, we moved out of our near 3000 square foot deluxe Beverly Chicago Bungalow into an off grid, 580 square foot Mennonite storage unit we re-purposed to be our home on the eco campus complete with outdoor compost toilets and a wood stove.
The motivation? To fall down the rabbit hole into an alternate reality of a low carbon life so we could help others do the same when the impact of a destabilized environment would tailor more and more of our lives.
Um, OK. And, again, there was a recent township supervisor election and the incumbent who sided with Black Oaks lost.
Also, Illinois PIRG and the Natural Resources Defense Council both filed witness slips in opposition over a tiny amount of natural gas use. Ridiculous.
Politicians in this state have been promising to bring progress to Pembroke for as long as I’ve been alive. They’ve never successfully followed through. Enough, already. The opposition has no realistic or even concrete alternate plan. The status quo should not continue.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 11:43 am
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What are the residents currently using as a heat source? I would prioritize water and sewage.
Comment by very old soil Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 11:51 am
===I would prioritize===
Bird in the hand…
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 11:52 am
Some folks that want to live in their off-the-grid utopia should not be a leading voice on this. And PIRG and NRDC should take a couple beats and think about the systemic racism that lead to Pembroke having no access to natural gas in the first place.
I love renewable energy. If someone is going to put up the money to make that happen at scale in Pembroke, great. But if not, get them the basic utility service everyone else has had for decades.
Comment by Montrose Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 11:54 am
Get that area at least into the20th century with 20th century sewer water electricity gas and then worry about sustainable energy. Trite but true don’t let the perfect drive out the possible
Comment by DuPage Saint Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 11:55 am
Eh, I don’t know. This is not like the residents will have any demonstrable benefit… they will now have to pay growing and growing gas bills. $8 million for 400 homes is $20,000 per home just for the pipeline. Now each of those homes needs to pay $5-$10,000 for costs in the home to connect, with some help from the state. And what they get for that is new gas bills that are hundreds of dollars a month.
I fully support handing out $20k per home for Hopkins Park and Pembroke Township and letting them figure out what to do with it. It probably isn’t this.
I think this has much more to do with the idea that if they have a gas pipeline that they can hopefully bring in a big shiny new factory.
And I think it has much more to do with provisions in the bill that Nicor slipped in that allows them to now build out gas pipelines (and charge its other customers) to anywhere under the justification of economic development.
I would bet my lunch that less then 20% of those residents ever get the gas into their homes.
You could probably strip out the universal language Nicor added and then ensure there are no better alternatives first, while ensuring the same money goes to Pembroke, and get a much better result.
Comment by Ok Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 11:58 am
Lake shore liberals stopped using straws, rural folks can go with out affordable heat. Everybody’s doing their part.
Comment by Franklin Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 12:13 pm
I grew up with propane and that is what a lot of people in rural areas use. Propane is much more expensive than natural gas but would that be more effective to start? How about electric heat instead? That could work. Again these sort of problems are mostly the same in most rural areas of the state.
Comment by Publius Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 12:15 pm
==Again these sort of problems are mostly the same in most rural areas of the state.==
Pembroke Township’s less than 50 miles from Chicago. They are surrounded by towns and villages with full amenities. The residents of this poor neglected area deserve better.
Comment by Responsa Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 12:50 pm
Anyone who has physically been to Pembroke Township knows that it needs pretty much everything. Of course they need water and sewage and there are too many dirt roads and they need reliable energy (traditional and renewable) and isn’t a place without broadband incredibly uncompetitive and lacking in quality of life in 2021? These are not either/or scenarios, it’s an “all the above” situation. Why has this taken so long?
Comment by levivotedforjudy Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 12:59 pm
Our opposition is not over a “tiny amount” of gas use. Here is written testimony:
https://illinoispirg.org/blogs/blog/ilp/testimony-senate-energy-and-public-utilities-committee-opposition-sb2393
As OK noted, the bill is larger than one project. It continues the misguided policies of the last decade by stripping utility regulators of discretion. It does so to facilitate subsidizing pipeline expansions around the state.
Comment by Abe Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 12:59 pm
=== Why has this taken so long?===
Ask Abe.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 1:01 pm
This natural gas pipeline will give the residents the opportunity to not only have heat, but a chance to have any manufacturing. No manufacturer would come to Pembroke having to use electric or propane. If someone has never been to Hopkins Park or Pembroke Township, one might not believe the living conditions there. Try going with no heat for a winter, or try going with a dirt floor. There are still some sand roads. If there is going to be infrastructure, then it should be for all. Pembroke should not be left behind. What will make it work this time is that the county will be handling the grant. This is a true case of Democrats and Republicans from different levels of government working together for the benefit of a community.
Comment by Kankakee County Resident Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 1:07 pm
Please keep in mind that Penbrook Township is a fairly sparsely populated area–there are a little over 2000 people in the 52 square mile township. The only incorporated area in the township is Hopkins Park which has a population of a little over 700 in almost 4 square miles, the density of houses in the town is 74 per square mile. The little town of Herrick, Illinois in Shelby County has a population of just over 500 people in 0.37 square miles (and 608 houses per square mile)–and Herrick is not served by natural gas either, but uses propane.
Now, you may say that Herrick is in the Eastern Block, but my point is there are other areas in Ilinois in a similar situation to Penbrook Township, although the township may be somewhat poorer and is more than 90% African-American. Also, note that Herrick does have a city water system and I think they are working on getting sewer (but I am not for sure).
Finally, note that my little town, Moweaqua, Illinois, famous for Ron Ferrari (from U of I walk-on to 5 years with the 49ers)and Mark Whitaker of ADM fame is approximately 2000 in sze and a little more than 700 homes persquare mile–just to give you an idea of a small town–we do have water and sewer and natural gas.
Comment by Moweaqua Indian Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 1:40 pm
Some places in unincorporated DuPage county don’t have water, sewers, or natural gas. They have water wells, septic systems, and propane gas. They are doing OK, and that is just part of the costs of having a house in that specific location.
Comment by DuPage Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 2:25 pm
There is an unforeseen consequences of bringing a natural gas line to Pembroke Township. Anyone who switches from propane to natural gas will have try to convert their furnaces, stoves, and water heaters to the new fuel. Some appliances may not be able to be converted.
An expensive proposition for needy homeowners.
Comment by Huh? Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 2:39 pm
Is there federal infrastructure money available for this project? They should apply for it, with the trillions going into the legislation, the feds should be able to fit it in. Sand roads? Paving them could be added to the package as well. The state should also apply for funding for grants to homeowners statewide for expenses needed to extend water, sewer, and gas lines to their property.
Comment by DuPage Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 3:31 pm
@Abe -
“The bill is larger than one project.”
Not to the people who live in Pembroke Township.
What’s your solution?
Comment by Thomas Paine Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 4:33 pm
I don’t see a solution. Rural areas with good infrastructure are losing population. Subsidizing delivery of natural gas is unlikely to help the residents.
Call me cynical, but who is making money from this proposal? Ten million dollars spent on job training and scholarships is more likely to help the current residents. If industry did move in (a big if), would the jobs go to current residents or newcomers with better skills?
Comment by Last Bull Moose Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 5:59 pm
@Thomas Paine
1. For Pembroke - consider clean energy alternatives and allow community self determination as CA did in the San Juaquin valley. There, 10 of 11 communities chose clean energy and 1 a pipeline.
2. For the bill - limit it to one community. Why incentivize fossil fuel infrastructure investment statewide if the goal is to impact one community?
3. For the state - initiate a multi stakeholder investigation into the future of gas distribution utilities. Climate science indicates we need to stop burning gas to heat our homes within 30 years.
Comment by Abe Monday, Apr 26, 21 @ 8:21 pm
@ Publius–
I grew up on a farm. Our electricity came through a co-op. We used propane to cook and heat our water.
When my parents built the “new house” in 1973, they put in “modern” electric heat. After the first winter we lived in that house, Mom and Dad put in a wood stove for heat.
Not only was it bloody expensive to use the electric heat, there’s that whole issue of electric lines going down during storms. We would lose power at least once every winter during a storm, and often more than once. It was not at all uncommon for those outages to last for periods greater than 24 hours. (Not including summer power losses, often from maintenance on the lines.)
If you haven’t done so, look up the average income for Pembroke Township. Then ask how folks that poor are going to be able to afford propane for a furnace.
I agree with our host–the residents of Pembroke deserve better than they have gotten over the last century. We’re talking about a place in Illinois, not Mississippi or Alabama, for crying out loud.
In regards to the folks playacting poverty on their organic farm: let’s see how they feel about flush toilets and other modern conveniences in a decade (if not sooner).
I’m certain they are a lovely family and mean well. But they really need to go out and talk to their new neighbors who having been living in 19th century conditions for at least 3 or 4 generations. That life ain’t so wonderful, long-term.
Those Beverly-bragging transplants don’t have to connect to the proposed gas service. But they have absolutely no right to prevent their neighbors from improving their lives.
Comment by Lynn S. Wednesday, Apr 28, 21 @ 9:35 pm