Skinner4Governor.org

Cal Skinner's Environmental Record

Libertarian Cal Skinner has a long, impressive record of balancing environmental concerns with the need to keep the size and cost of government limited. Here is a brief history of his environmental activities and voting record.

A History of Concern

In 1959 Cal Skinner decided to take one of the first courses in ecology at Knox College in Galesburg, instead of attending Boys State. That was ten years before the general public learned about the word ecology on Earth Day.

Ten years later, he was a Crystal Lake Jaycee (and McHenry County Treasurer) chairing a county fair booth project entitled, "Pollution Alert."
The display featured a slide show of pollution in McHenry County, including yellow and blue streams, dead raccoons that had drunk stream water and other examples of pollution the newly formed McHenry County Health Department had discovered. Fair-goers were invited to take post cards on which they could blow the whistle on McHenry County polluters.

When the McHenry County Defenders was formed, Skinner joined. He has been a member for virtually as long as the organization has been in existence.

As state representative in the 1970's an elderly woman coordinated the collection of 5,000 signatures urging Skinner to prevent the Middlefork River in Danville from being turned into a reservoir. Skinner was on the Appropriations Committee at the time and led the House fight to kill the project.

Skinner joined the fight to kill the Fox Valley Tollway, still euphemistically called the Fox Valley Expressway by proponents of rampant growth in McHenry County. Proponents of the project went into hibernation until about 1990. When Skinner ran for State Representative in 1992, his opposition to it resulted in the "establishment" Republican primary candidate's announcing it was again dead in a Barrington candidate's night the week before the primary election. Skinner won the primary and served eight more years in the Illinois House.

In his 1970's service the executive director the Boone County Conservation District asked Skinner to introduce a bill to establish the non-game income tax check-off. Skinner passed the bill over active opposition of the Revenue Department. Governor Jim Thompson vetoed the bill, but Rep. Virginia Macdonald passed the same bill the next session, when the Governor signed it, along with a number of other income tax check-off bills.

When it appeared that oil companies might want to drill in Lake Michigan, Skinner introduced a bill to prohibit such activity.

When Skinner ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 1980, Elgin friends installed a fuel system that powered the car on 85% ethanol and 15% water. The car stalled only once during the campaign. Skinner still believes that if corn growers in the state would establish convenient filling stations in the suburbs that a market for ethanol-powered cars might develop.

During the 1980's Skinner often talked to his father, who served on the McHenry County board. Skinner suggested that one potential source of Fox River pollution was septic tanks of riverbank property owners. Skinner's father convinced the county board to dye test all of the septic tanks.

In 1993, Skinner led the fight to allow home rule municipalities to set notice regulations for herbicide and pesticide application. Unfortunately, he lost the fight.

Skinner continued his support of widening existing roads, rather than building new ones. It took eight years, but his idea of dedicated right- and left-turn lanes, plus two westbound through lanes on Route 62 at the intersection of Route 31 was completed before he left office.

100% Environmental Voting Record

In the 1997-98 session, Skinner's voting record was rated number one among state representatives by the Illinois Environmental Council. He had a 100% record.

During the 1990's Skinner voted to stop the Robbins' incinerator and to give local county governments zoning power over mega-hog farms. He believes pollution of groundwater drinking supplies is a major problem that needs more attention in Illinois. He joined his rural constituents in objecting to Indeck's petition to build an electric generating facility in a rural area. He also criticized county zoning officials for refusing to inform affected residents of petitions to build cellular telephone towers. Skinner managed to get one moved from the intersection of Routes 22 and 14 to the top of the Fox River Grove water tower.

Make Median Strips Prairies

As Governor, Skinner proposes to turn the "golf course-like" median strips and shoulders of interstate highways, including tollways, into prairies. Skinner argues that such lineal prairies could be tourist attractions with seas of yellow flowers each fall and blue stem grass fifteen feet tall. He notes that prairie grass would help with water retention, besides being a scenic attraction. Skinner proposes that prisoners grow and plant the prairie plants where they are within reasonable distance of state prisons.

Skinner is the only candidate to call for turning the tollways into freeways. He points out the reduction of in air pollution that removal of the toll booths would bring. (See separate tollway section on the web site for further information.)

While the last two governors have opted to seek state parks northwest of Springfield and near DuQuoin, Skinner promises to seek funding for a 2000-3000 acre park in McHenry County's southeastern corner in Algonquin Township. It now consists of gravel pits that are mined out or in the process of being mined. He explains that the site could easily be accessible by train and bus from the Cary train station and that recreational activities are limited primarily by one's imagination. He believes virtually any type of summer or winter water sport would possible, as would camping, recreational vehicle parks, "not to mention activities that are not welcome in traditional parks," referring to dirt bikes and other motorize vehicles.

Skinner believes much more attention must be paid to the protection of ground water. He points out that areas in the Chicago metropolitan area that do not already have Lake Michigan water are not likely to obtain it, leaving ground water the only alternative besides rivers.

Skinner said he may take a leaf from Iowa's Libertarian gubernatorial candidate and serious investigate wind generation of electric power. Clyde Cleveland has come with an interesting proposal that deserves consideration.

In the Rockford area, Skinner opposes the extension of Perryville Road and notes that Rod Blagojevich's signs have appeared on the property of the land speculator who will benefit most from building this stimulus to sprawl in northern Winnebago County.

Skinner also believes the Illinois Environment Protection Agency should take more interest in the noise and visual pollution aspects of peaker electric generating plants, such as those proposed by Indeck. He notes that Indeck had given Jim Ryan $139,115 through June 30th. In fact, Indeck was Jim Ryan's fourth largest contributor.

Election 2002 Web Archive Collection

Election 2002 Web Archive Collection