Will County Gazette

Illinois state Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) says it is no mystery why Illinois’ economy continues to struggle so mightily.

“It’s the attitude we have in Springfield that just keeps making things harder for the job creators,” Batinick told the Will County Gazette. “Why would any business put up with that when they can just go other places?”

Batinick laments that his worst fears have again come true in the case of Marquis Energy, which recently announced the company will not be building a $500 million plant in Scott County as once planned, with “state legislation” being at least partly to blame. In making its decision official, company executives directly pointed to Senate Bill 1407 as one of the biggest factors.

Marquis Energy CEO Mark Marquis | marquisenergy.com

“Illinois government’s anti-business and high tax policies will require us to pursue company expansions in surrounding states,” CEO Mark Marquis said in a statement. “State Bill 1407 is an example of legislation that will negatively impact our company’s expansion plans — removing our company’s choice in construction contractors we hire and the agreed upon price between the two parties, reducing competition and inflating costs,”

Without drastic change in Springfield, Batinick sees these incidents as just the tip of the iceberg.

“You have to think not all companies are going to spend time putting out a press release; they’re just going to leave,” he said. “The rot is much worse than what we’re seeing. This is just one symptom. I call bills like SB 1407 pie bills, because we’re just shrinking the size of the pie that is Illinois. The state has to stop being so hostile to job creators.”

Hennepin-based Marquis already operates facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin that produce more than 500 million gallons of ethanol annually.