Reinforcing work on clean energy

I was thrilled to read Mick Zawislak's profile of Bob Ward in his May 27 article "With incentives, solar energy's good for environment, business in Lake County." Ward's success using solar power for his business proves that we don't need to use dirty coal to power Illinois.

I love that the article reinforces the fact that new sources of clean energy - like solar and wind - make more financial sense for most businesses in the long run, plus they're better for the planet.

One of the aspects that really stuck out to me was the importance of using the federal tax credit to offset the cost. Our local and federal governments should absolutely be leading the charge when it comes to clean energy, which is why I'm so excited about the concept of carbon fee and dividend legislation. Placing a steadily rising fee on carbon that returns all of the money to American households will greatly improve the quality of life for Illinoisans; we'd experience less pollution, fewer deaths, greater job opportunities, and more economic growth.

Thankfully, our politicians are already tackling CFD legislation at the local level. Alderman Joe Moore of the 49th ward is sponsoring a Chicago Resolution supporting CFD and five of Illinois' House Reps. Rodney Davis, Daniel Lipinski, Randy Hultgren, Peter Roskam and Jan Schakowsky are members of the Climate Solutions Caucus. I can only hope our communities keep looking toward a cleaner, healthier future.

Amelia Estrich

Chicago