JPIC Office Blog

March 4, 2008

BY ANN PIASECKI
JPIC COORDINATOR

Midwest governors for greenhouse gas accord

WHEATON—Illinois state officials stepped up to the plate on the issue of climate control by joining forces with five other states on an agreement called the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord. Lacking federal oversight, states gathered into regional organizations and adopted an initiative to cut back on emissions that contribute to global warming.

Jonathan Goldman, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC), told the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Office of the Wheaton Franciscans in a Feb. 28 interview that the accord between the governors of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kansas was unveiled in November 2007. Essentially, it’s an energy stewardship plan that would be administered and controlled on a permit-like approach. They plan to establish a “threshold” for allowable gas emissions and regulate it through a credit system. Businesses and industries, such as Commonwealth Edison and Nicor that emit fuel burning emissions into the air would be assigned a limited amount of credits. If businesses manage to reduce their pollutants, they’ll have the opportunity to sell excess credits to other firms. This formula puts a finger on a button mechanism designed to restrict and control the amount of emissions poured into the Midwestern skies. The regional effort is modeled after earlier accords put in motion in the Northeast and out West.

“So there’s flexibility built in” to a system described by IEC as a “cap-and-trade” mechanism designed to track and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said Goldman.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he planned to appoint a committee to identify and implement the details for the way in which multi-state accord would be administered in the state. Goldman refrained from commenting on the projected effectiveness of the program until the committee shares its administrative methodology. “The devil is in the details.”

Logistically speaking, the accord is going to have to be fought for within the General Assemblies of the supporting states, he added. The IEC is optimistic about the campaign to find global warming solutions. He cited growing support from the business community, may of which have adopted green policies. Lawmakers around the country are beginning to hear their constituents and are working on a growing number of legislative proposals that pertain to environmentally friendly issues, he said. 

Check out the IEC Web site at http://www.ilenviro.org/news/ or the Midwest Governors Association at http://www.midwesterngovernors.org/resolutions/Greenhouse%20gas%20accord_Layout%201.pdf

Foreclosure avoidance tactics find federal and state support

WHEATON—In response to rising home foreclosure rates in Illinois and elsewhere around the country both the federal government and state officials have moved to assist homeowners facing the loss of their primary residence.

At a Feb. 14 press conference, Ill. Gov. Rob Blagojevich announced the Homeowner’s Assistance Initiative which acts on an agreement from mortgage lenders to provide a $200 million pool to refinance sub-prime loans with fixed rate mortgages. The mortgages available for at risk homeowners offers a 30-year fixed mortgage at rates that vary from 5.75 percent to 8 percent. To qualify, borrowers must complete mortgage counseling and have a minimum credit score of 580.

Sheila McCann, director of outreach and development for the DuPage Homeownership Center, lauded the new statewide venture to keep Illinois residents from losing their homes to foreclosure. However, she said it’s been her experience that rising adjustable rate mortgages are not necessarily the problem. She blamed the rise in defaults on the overall economic downturn. The income to debt ratio becomes too high for homeowners derailed economically by a job loss, death in the family or a divorce, according to McCann. “There’s no cushion; people are living close to the edge,” depending on credit cards to make ends meet.

The key to prevent foreclosure, which “nobody wants—not the bank, not the family”—is addressing the situation early. McCann cautions homeowners against waiting to seek help. “If they wait too long, then they lose some of their options (from the lender).” She suggests people call for mortgage counseling and as soon as they identify the problem. Debt counselors can attempt to negotiate with creditors to reduce payments.

Meanwhile, Congress has introduced a bipartisan foreclosure prevention package aimed at helping families save their homes. The proposal, S2636, the Help Families Save their Homes in Bankruptcy Act of 2008, authorizes the restructuring of the bankruptcy code, while allowing a judge to work with the homeowner and the lender to modify the monthly payment. The plan has been placed on the Senate legislative calendar. Readers are invited to view the DuPage Homeownership Center Web site at http://www.dhoc.org/.

Adaptation measures in developing countries call for assistance  

In related matters, the National Catholic Rural Life Conference (NCRLC) together with the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change has lent their support for the proposed America’s Climate Security Act, S 2191. The proposal is aimed at maintaining funding for adaptation measures for the least developed countries plus worker training, temporary wages and healthcare for dislocated/relocate U.S. workers. The measure has thus far cleared the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

The bill provides for the establishment of controls on greenhouse gas emissions by establishing a registry and a mechanism for restricting emissions through regulations described by the proposed Carbon Market Efficiency Board. The benefit to developing countries would be realized through several funds—energy assistance, climate change worker training, adaptation and climate change and national security. The proposal is intended as an incentive for developing countries to support low emissions standards.  For information on the bipartisan proposal, view an analysis by the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University at http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/institute/.

Waste disposal process is a federal crapshoot

WHEATON—Corporate owned mega farms have hired a crop of lobbyists to petition Congress to halt a reporting procedure that documents the amount of emissions resulting from agricultural production, particularly livestock and poultry. The biggest emissions consist of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide from animal manure, according to the Feb. 26 edition of the Washington Post.

While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) admits that these emissions can pose a threat to people living and working nearby a mega livestock farming operation, staff members say the emissions report was not utilized by local officials. Environmental activists counter the EPA claim, saying healthcare workers report higher levels of respiratory irritation in people living downwind of large scale operations.

Tim Kautza, interim executive director for the NCRLC in Des Moines, Iowa, responded to the suggestion to roll back emissions documentation in regard to the agriculture industry. In a Feb. 26 e-mail statement, he stated, “This action, or inaction, by EPA would remove one more of a few remaining criteria by which local communities can measure and judge how large scale animal confinements are impacting their environment and endangering their health; lessening even further their voice in the decision-making process regarding the citing and regulation of large scale confinements.

“The requirement does not impact the more sustainable, small livestock farmer. If corporations are going to grow animals in factories then they should be held accountable for their actions. This can’t be done if a system is not in place requiring the reporting of such impacts. This is a legitimate role for the federal government,” said Kautza.

Public health wants a booster shot

Immigration initiatives on the rise

WHEATON—The traveling Mexican Consulate is moving throughout the State of Illinois in an attempt to assist people needing passport renewal, identification cards and advice on ways to navigate the road to U.S. citizenship.

Beginning in May 2006 at the University of St. Francis (USF) in Joliet Hispanic newcomers in the region found peace in the discovery that there exist an attitude of welcome and outreach in regard to the immigration issue. In a single day, the mobile consulate renewed hundred of passports and identification cards for more than 1,000 Mexicans currently living in Will and Grundy counties, which are part of the Diocese of Joliet. Since then, a mobile consulate was sponsored as well in Beardstown, about 190 miles south of Chicago. Another stop is slated for July 2008 in Fairmont, Ill., about 30 miles south of Springfield, Ill.    

Ingrid Goobar-Szleifer, an assistant professor at USF, noted in a letter revealed Feb. 28, 2008, that she is seeking support for a permanent Mexican Consulate in Joliet. She noted that 20 percent of the Joliet populations “will benefit in many ways” from a local branch.

Jubilee Act gains momentum and support

WILLOWBROOK—In advance of the upcoming Jubilee Act, S 2166 in the U.S. Senate, and HR 2634 in the U.S. House of Representatives, a group of seven Jubilee debt campaigners, most of whom held also claimed association with the DuPage Glocal AIDS Action Network (DGAAN), visited Rep. Judy Biggert of Willowbrook during the February break of the 110th Congressional season.

The visitors, including representatives from the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office (JPIC) of the Wheaton Franciscans, the ONE Campaign, DGAAN and parishioners from St. Joan of Arc in Lisle urged support in the fight against global poverty. The catch phrase for Jubilee Act proponents during this most recent press for passage of the legislation is “Measure Up! Rule Out Debt” for those enduring the consequence of entrenched poverty.     

The campaigners attended the meeting with the intention of clarifying specific language within the proposed bill and gleaned insights into matters that particularly concerned the Congresswoman. Mostly, Rep. Biggert said she required a commitment from Jubilee USA leaders that Congress would be assured of transparent financial accountability and promotion of practices that promote sustainable development management. The proposal is expected to come out for a vote later this spring. For information, visit http://www.jubileeusa.org/.

Global Poverty Act gathers compassion by way of postcard campaign

ROMEOVILLE—Several members of the Joliet Diocesan Council on Global Solidarity organized a February postcard campaign at parishes within the region. The plan entailed offering a concise explanation of the measure, which asks Congress to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the U.S. foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement by 2015 of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the number of people worldwide, who live on less than $1 per day. 

Opposition stacking up against the removal of mountain tops

ROMEOVILLE—The Clean Water Protection Act, HR 2169, enacted in 1977 prohibited harmful dumping of material waste into U.S. waterways. Five years later, the bill was amended and redefined waste materials. As a result, mining waste and other debris associated with the destruction of mountain tops for its coal-rich resources were allowed.

The proposed measure seeks authorization to reform the bill to mirror its earlier version at to protect rivers and streams, especially those most impacted in the Appalachian region, and especially in West Virginia.  For more information about the devastation to natural resources and the quality of water in the region due to mountain top removal, check Appalachian Voices at http://www.appvoices.org/.

Criminal justice trends swing to the right

WHEATON—Although Illinois clings to a 2000 moratorium against the death penalty, a handful of prosecutors have been pushing to unhinge its lockdown on capital punishment.

In recent months, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett has launched a campaign to reinstitute death penalty executions, and Cook County State’s Attorney Dick Devine has obtained a number of death penalty sentences since the moratorium, which acts as a barrier against executions.

Deacon George Brooks, a former criminal attorney turned jailhouse minister for Cook County in Chicago, Ill., is an outspoken advocate for social justice within the department of corrections. In a Feb. 28 interview Brooks told the JPIC that momentum for a more liberal approach to the death penalty and criminal justice is building toward a re-energized its “get tough on crime” attitude. Citing the recent release of corrections news that 1 out of 10 adult Americans are in jail or prison—more than 2.3 million people—is a good indicator that corrections is a booming industry, said Brooks. The bulky population of sad and sorry people should compel parishes to embrace Catholic social teachings. He urged the faithful from all congregations to be compassionate and establish programs to welcome the ex-offender back into society.

In Illinois today, 35,000 men and women are released annually back into the mainstream population. Most of the formerly incarcerated had little rehabilitation in prison or jail. And very few can get jobs because applications demand them to confess on paper their felony, which most often eliminates the possibility of employment.

He asked the question, “When does the ‘ex’ come into play for an ex-offender? When are they done serving their time?”  Brooks pointed to the 2000 U.S. bishops’ statement that called for restoration, responsibility and rehabilitation in regard to formerly incarcerated individuals.
 
Bob Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI), said the General Assembly is expected this session to review a proposal that seeks leniency in the case of men and women who were convicted of heinous crimes and given life sentences when they were still juveniles. HB 43834 is a compassionate response to juveniles facing life sentences. After spending two or more decades behind bars, proposal advocates suggest that a prisoner, who as a juvenile at the time of his or her conviction and sentenced under adult conditions, should be allowed a hearing to determine whether or not there is evidence of rehabilitation. If so, the proposal seeks some form of parole, he added.

As always thanks for taking the time to read our monthly Blog.

Sr. Sheila Kinsey, OSF
JPIC Leader
Wheaton Franciscans

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