Environment

America and the world are at an environmental crossroads. Increased consumption and pollution have led to the undeniable reality of global warming. We cannot afford continued deadlock on environmental issues in Washington. Every day that congress does not act, we are putting our own future and our children's future at risk.

As a Cook County Commissioner and now a Member of Congress, Mike has worked tirelessly for environmentally-conscious government.

The Mike Quigley Environmental Agenda

Greenhouse Gases: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be a top priority for Mike Quigley in congress. He will work with President Obama to establish a cap-and-trade policy aimed at reducing pollution from greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020 and an 80% reduction by 2050. The credits can be auctioned off to not only create a level playing field for all sources of energy but the proceeds of the auction will help support the accelerated development of renewable energy.

Fuel Efficiency: Mike Quigley understands the pain consumers feel at the pump every time they fill up, and he believes the solution can be found in more efficient cars. Through providing tax-credits for citizens purchasing hybrid and electric vehicles and investing in new green technologies, high-mileage, low-cost cars will become a more practical option for the American consumer.

Green Jobs: Mike Quigley will work with President Obama to help ignite the Green Job revolution in this country. In order to reach the goals of energy independence, green house gas reduction, and increased fuel efficiency, America needs an entirely new workforce of millions of skilled "green workers."

Great Lakes: Human life depends on the health of our Great Lakes – unlike oil, there are no alternatives to water. As your US representative I will fight to pass the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Implementation Act – a strategy to restore water quality and biological diversity to the lakes. At the same time, I will work hard to ensure that the Environmental Protection Agency enforces laws, penalizes polluters, and improves water quality standards in throughout our rivers, ponds lakes, and oceans.

The Mike Quigley Record of Accomplishment on Environment

Recognized Environmental Leader: The Chicago Reader has named Mike Quigley "arguably the greenest elected official in Chicago," with an environmental record unsurpassed on the Cook County Board, including the sponsorship of every piece of major environmental legislation adopted by Cook County in the last decade.

Climate Change: In his capacity as Cook County Commissioner, Mike Quigley co-sponsored legislation that committed Cook County to join the Chicago Climate Exchange. Requirements of membership include the reduction of the county's carbon emissions, of which failure to do so mandates the purchase of carbon offsets.

Green Construction: Mike Quigley's sponsorship of Cook County's Green Building Ordinance in 2002 spearheaded the movement towards green construction across Cook County, requiring all new facilities to meet the LEED standards developed by the U.S. Green Buildings Council. His legislation made Cook County the first county in the nation to adopt green building legislation. He also successfully led the effort to use rubberized asphalt on county roads.

Green purchasing: As a County Commissioner he introduced new purchasing guidelines for office products and county vehicles. Because of his efforts, the County is purchasing hybrid vehicles for many of its departments and the purchase of recycled goods is now a standard practice. He also saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars by banning the purchase of individual water bottles with taxpayer dollars and working to install more environmentally friendly sources of water for county employees and taxpayers visiting our facilities.

Forest Preserve District: Mike Quigley's also forcefully advocates for and works to protect the 76,000 acres of the Cook County Forest Preserve District. As chair of the Forest Preserve Board Finance Committee, he has urged District officials to increase the pace of land acquisition, opposed encroachments and inappropriate uses of District lands, and actively supported careful restoration of District lands to their natural state.