Somebody out there likes Pat Quinn

Gov. Pat Quinn used his veto power on Sunday to formally reject a measure that would have restricted municipalities that wanted to ban plastic bags in their communities.

QUINN: The 'green' gov?

Which on the surface will result in wisecracks about how eager Quinn was to please a pre-teen girl who led an effort to lobby on the issue that actually resulted in some 175,000 signatures of support on her petitions.

NOT BAD FOR anyone, particularly a 13-year-old.

But it’s not just Abby Goldberg of the northwestern suburbs who is pleased these days. Because in reading the press statement Quinn issued to explain his veto of the “plastic bag” bill, I couldn’t help but notice a quote issued in the name of Jennifer Walling, who is director of the Illinois Environment Council.

“With this veto, Gov. Quinn has completed the 2012 legislative season with a perfect record for the environment,” Walling said, in the prepared statement.

At a time when many people like to point to high “unfavorable” ratings for Quinn in the 40s (of percentile) in various polls and approval ratings significantly below that of Dick Durbin, Rahm Emanuel or Barack Obama (the other big political names on our “local” political scene), it seems that at least one group of people is willing to say something nice about the “Mighty” Quinn.

I DIDN’T FOLLOW every single bill of interest to the environmental lobby. But there were a couple of issues I did monitor during the summer months, and as it turned out the environmental activists did wind up getting their way.

One was a bill that made landfill creation or expansion within Cook County against the law – which went directly in the face of what the Land & Lakes Co. of suburban Park Ridge wanted to do in annexing a landfill currently split between Chicago and suburban Dolton entirely into Dolton.

Now, it’s just a shuttered property, and Land & Lakes is going about issuing statements about how irresponsible Quinn was (and trying to shift the blame for Dolton having to find a new place to dump its own trash onto the governor).

There was another bill of environmental interest – one that would have made changes in the state law to encourage continued development of a portion of the old Republic Steel site in the East Side neighborhood into a plant that would use the gasification process to turn Southern Illinois-mined coal into a synthetic gas that could then be sold to utility companies.

ORGANIZED LABOR LOBBIED hard and heavy for this bill. They liked the idea of the thousands of construction jobs that would be created to build the plant, and the couple-hundred it would create to operate the plant once it was built.

Union officials were very clear in siding with the business interests and local political officials, including 10^th Ward Alderman John Pope, who also wanted this bill signed into law.

Yet Quinn wound up siding with the environmentalists from organizations such as the Sierra Club, who devoted their time and effort to helping the local residents who objected to the idea because they didn’t want another industrial plant located near their homes.

Even though the business interests that wanted the plant always claimed the local residents didn’t truly appreciate how modern technology reduce the potential for pollution.

I REMEMBER THINKING back then that Quinn was likely to sign that particular measure into law. I thought he’d view it as a balancing act – giving environmentalists the landfill ban and giving his organized labor allies the gasification plant.

Even though the environmental activists contended they weren’t surprised that they won both issues on the grounds that the governor was determined to do the “right” thing – at least as far as how they perceived it. So they are happy – even though many others are miffed. I can’t help but wonder what kinds of things are being said at union halls these days – particularly after those union workers get a drink or two in them.

And maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that Quinn went along with the “plastic bag” bill. I’m sure Quinn could have managed to make himself look completely ridiculous if he had tried to explain why he wouldn’t give in to Goldberg.

He could have come across as looking like a complete oaf.

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My head’s spinning silly!

I don't think I'll ever be able to walk by the Thompson Center building without remembering the day that a giant, inflatable coal plant was erected out front. Photograph by Gregory Tejeda

If you’d have asked me last week what the funk was that was clinging to my physical being, I’d have said “sweat” from all the heat we got hit with. I was dripping, and I’m sure I didn’t smell all that pleasant – no matter how many times a day I showered.

But this week, the funk that is all about me is nothing more than pure political “spin.”

FOR IN THE past couple of days, I did some work for one of the suburban daily newspapers in covering a pair of protest rallies outside the Thompson Center state government building related to the same issue.

Only different sides. And everybody was pushing their party line off onto me, while also making sure to be on hand to rebut anything the other side might have to say.

At stake in this issue is Illinois Senate Bill 3766 – which was approved this spring by the General Assembly. It is related to the proposed construction of a plant that uses the gasification process to convert Southern Illinois coal into a synthetic natural gas that can be used for heating.

One side (the batch that came on Monday) wants the project because it would be a significant construction project that eventually would be an operating business employing hundreds of people in and around the 10^th Ward – specifically the one-time site of Republic Steel that now sits vacant in the East Side neighborhood.

PICTURE THE SIGHT of 100 or so construction workers, trying to do their best to be an intimidating presence, and literally coming out and saying to Gov. Quinn, “our work boots turned out the vote for you. You owe us.”



One of the Republic Steel remnants that could someday be cleared away for a plant turning coal to natural gas. Photograph by Gregory Tejeda



The other side (the ones on hand Tuesday) hate the project because they fear emissions will further pollute the air (which already has a certain funk you just don’t notice anywhere else in Chicago – the result of more than a century of industry being present in the area).

I’m not about to weigh in on this issue, because personally I can see both points. It’s hard to argue against somebody talking of creating hundreds of jobs (thousands, if you count the temporary construction ones) at a time when there are people desperate for employment of any type.

But I also realize why 10^th Warders are suspicious of anything that has potential to pollute – even though the plant’s backers claim that modern technology would make it as safe an environment to work in as Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

I DON’T KNOW if I buy that line; although I do believe that technology has reduced the potential for emissions into the air.

Then again, seeing the environmental activists set up a giant inflatable coal plant complete with smokestacks (which the plant backers insist will not exist in reality) being set up just about 100 feet from that “Standing Beast” sculpture that sits in front of the Thompson Center is a sight I doubt I ever will forget.

It is burned into my brain (and preserved on this weblog, for however long it may last)! Along with some of the jokes I heard about how they could have used the structure as a “bouncy house” and let kids play in it while the protests are staged.

Just where does one go to get a giant inflatable coal plant? It doesn’t sound like an item stocked regularly at the local Party City store!

JUST AS I didn’t come down on one side or the other on this issue, I’m going to be further wishy-washy and refuse to predict how I think Quinn will react on this measure.

QUINN: Soon to be somebody's enemy

Although I thought it interesting that a member of his staff met publicly with the opponents of a gasification plant, but not with the backers.

Then again, Quinn has signed into law other bills related to this project. For him to suddenly do an about-face now would be extremely erratic – almost like the kind of behavior we’d have expected from our state’s previous governor.

So what’s the one safe bet on this issue? No matter what Quinn does, he’s going to tick off an interest group – one that likely already has its rhetoric prepared to lambaste him for not giving them their way.

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