Jackson Responds to Attorney General Opinion

Congressman Jesse L. Jackson Jr., today issued the following statement in response to the legal opinion issued by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan:

"The Attorney General's opinion provides that the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission (ALNAC) may enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement that calls for them to jointly develop and operate the airport.

"We welcome that opportunity and we call upon Governor Blagojevich to direct IDOT to immediately enter into negotiations with ALNAC to draft a legally binding agreement to build the Abraham Lincoln National Airport. The essence of this opinion, as we read it, is that the project can move forward.

"In the meantime, our attorneys are reviewing the details of the Attorney General's opinion, which seems to contradict the expert legal opinions from several prestigious law firms, the University of Illinois School of Law and the non-partisan research arms that legislators in both the Illinois General Assembly and the United State Congress rely upon for legal guidance," Jackson said.