Pat Quinn has been governor for less than a week, but already he’s laying the groundwork for an ambitious green capital plan that he plans to unveil by mid-March and hopefully adopt by April 3. As far as Illinois Sierra Club director Jack Darin is concerned, this progressive vision couldn’t come at a more opportune time. But he cautions that making sure the federal stimulus money doesn’t end up simply expanding urban sprawl or filling the pockets of the coal and nuclear industries will require Quinn and his allies to “cut through the status quo". With the right leadership and the ability to quickly set priorities, Illinois officials could not only protect the state’s economy, but it’s environment too.  We talked to him yesterday about how he sees this playing out:

PI: What makes you think that the public would support such a progressive green agenda over a traditional capital plan?

DARIN: During the Bush years, it was mayors who led the way on making a commitment to policies like reducing greenhouse gas. That made a difference when when we had no leadership from Washington. People have shown they’re ready to go in a new direction. Now we have the ability not only to fund those initiatives but to hit the ground running.

PI: There’s a lot of talk about up-front job creation. But how, in the long-term, would laying a foundation for renewable energy and sustainable development today reshape Illinois economy?

DARIN: Job creation is ongoing. It’s not just large projects, but the work and creating products. Then there’s the ongoing building maintenance … Once these smarter and more efficient systems are up, you’re going to need smarter and more efficient people to maintain them. And those are higher paying, better jobs.

PI: If you were the architect of Illinois’ capital plan, what would your top five priorities be?

DARIN: First, we need to make sure that that local governments have all that they need to collect the energy efficiency money that’s available, given the use-it-or-lose-it nature of this [stimulus] money.

The wind industry has been one of the bright spots in our economy. Figuring out quickly how to use the federal funds to make sure [wind] developers have the money they need to move these projects forward is going to be key to keeping this industry growing.

We need new expansion in transit service. Slow spots could be fixed on the CTA. … A Metra Star Line could connect the outer suburbs. … I think a 2:1 transit-to-highway ratio in Illinois would be a good start.

There’s no question that we need money for roads and bridges. But rather than creating new roads that require more maintenance and costs in the future, we should invest in the existing infrastructure.

Also, clean water. To help the next generation of sewage treatment, we need to take the minerals out of water, the pharmaceuticals and other contaminants out of rivers and water. And by restoring and preserving wetlands, we’re investing in nature’s solution.

PI: Other states have made major green capital improvements on a project-by-project basis. Do you see a comprehensive plan here in Illinois having the potential to shape national policy as other states take stock and rebuild?

DARIN: There’s tremendous potential for a lot of change at one time for Illinois. But it couldn’t come at a better time … We’ve got a governor who wants to walk the walk. And we’re a state that looks like many others. We can show that energy efficiency is part of an economic recovery. Then future federal spending will support it. That is a transformative change.