SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Illinois Auditor General says the Pritzker administration failed to meet key equity requirements of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act from June 2022 to June 2024.
A new compliance audit shows the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity missed the mark on multiple provisions of the law moving Illinois toward 100% clean energy by 2050.
Everyone knew the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act was a historic step toward decarbonizing the state and creating clean energy jobs. Although many people may be shocked to know Illinois failed to deliver for marginalized communities that expected to benefit from the law shortly after it took effect.
"These were all goals that were laid out in legislation itself and were funded by 2023," Auditor General Frank Mautino told WAND News Thursday. "There was about $30 million into these programs that were set for local grants for job opportunities and had goals to be tracked that weren't met."
Auditors found Illinois did not dedicate at least one-third of the clean jobs workforce network program placements to applicants living in areas impacted by economic and environmental hardship. Mautino's office reported DCEO failed to administer the clean energy contractor incubator program for 13 community-based organizations across the state during the two-year period.
"A lot of the programs weren't put in place because either the rules of the program had not been passed or key positions had not been filled or areas selected," Mautino said. "I believe Decatur was named as one of the selections but has yet to receive funding."
Auditors also said Illinois did not start the returning residents' clean jobs training program despite the mandate taking effect in 2021. This was likely because DCEO did not select and approve administrators for the returning residents program before the end of the audit.
Mautino's office found excessive vacancies within the agency from 2022-2024 as well. DCEO reported having 785 positions, but 50% of those jobs sat vacant.
"That organizational chart tells you who reports to who and who is responsible for what," Mautino said. "If you have half of the positions that aren't filled, that makes a difference in the transparency to the general public."
The department accepted the audit findings and noted they have made significant progress since the audit was conducted. DCEO spokesperson Jordan Troy said the audit process plays an important role in identifying areas where legislative updates, program streamlining, or additional staffing and resources may be needed to support administration and implementation.
"We remain committed to working with our partners across Illinois to strengthen DCEO programs and improve outcomes for Illinois communities," Troy said.
The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition said implementation of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act was pushed back because of hiring delays from the COVID-19 pandemic and administrative red tape. However, the advocacy organization said they are now seeing tremendous success in implementation.
"Building our clean energy economy will require a lot of labor - from the administrative staff required to implement the policy itself to the tens of thousands of good jobs being created now across the state bringing clean power online," ICJC stated. "We're pleased to see DCEO working diligently to ensure we meet CEJA's clean energy goals and keep Illinois moving forward. This leadership from Illinois is more important than ever, with our federal government doing everything it can to reverse the progress our country has made toward clean, affordable energy."
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