DOWNTOWN ROADWAYS ARE STARTING TO REOPEN.

NOW THAT THE WEEKEND'S NASCAR FESTIVITIES ARE DONE.

THE RACE RETURN TO THE WINDY CITY FOR THE SECOND YEAR AFTER ADDING 109 MILLION DOLLARS TO CHICAGO'S ECONOMY LAST SUMMER.

BUT SOME DON'T THINK THE ATTRACTION IS WORTH THE DAMAGE THAT IT CAUSES TO THE STREETS AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE, OUR LESLIE WRECKED PRESIDENT OF THE GRANT PARK ADVISORY COUNCIL.

AND CATHERINE CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CHICAGO ENVIRONMENTALIST, THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.

LESLIE WRECK STARTING WITH YOU, PLEASE.

WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO MAYOR JOHNSON WHEN HE ANNOUNCED THAT NASCAR WOULD BE RETURNING?

THE ADVISORY COUNCIL HAS RAISED SOME ISSUES ABOUT JUST WHAT NASCAR IS CONTRIBUTING TO BOTH THE PARK DISTRICT IN THE CITY AND OUR MAIN CONCERN WAS, FIRST OF ALL, THE PERMIT FEES THAT THEY'RE PAYING ARE MUCH SMALLER.

THEN THE PERMIT FEES BEING PAID, FOR INSTANCE, BY LOLLAPALOOZA SWAYING HOUSE.

THEY PAY ABOUT 12 MILLION LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR, THE INCREASE AND THE PERMIT FEE WENT FROM 500,000 TO 550,000 FOR NASCAR.

SO WE DON'T FEEL THEY'RE PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE, BUT ALSO THEY'RE NOT CONTRIBUTING TO THE PARK IN TERMS OF THEY THEY DO FIX A LOT OF THE DAMAGE THAT THEY DO, BUT THEY DON'T FIX IT ALL.

AND LOLLAPALOOZA HAS SHOWN THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO PUT AN INVESTMENT INTO GRANT PARK LIKE THE $500,000 THEY DONATED FOR THE NEW PICKLEBALL AND TENNIS COURTS.

GRANT PARK, AS YOU MENTIONED.

YOU KNOW, IT'S A SCENE OF A LOT OF EVENTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE SUMMER LOLLAPALOOZA BEING A VERY BIG ONE.

OF COURSE, THE SWING IS FESTIVAL AS WELL.

BUT WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON THE PARK AS WELL AS NEARBY RESIDENTS OF SO MUCH IN A COUPLE, YOU KNOW, COME BACK TO OUT OF TIME.

ABSOLUTELY.

I THINK THAT OVER THE YEARS THERE HAVE BEEN MORE AND MORE LARGE EVENTS IN GRANT PARK AND THERE ARE MORE THAN 110,000 RESIDENTS WHO LIVE DOWNTOWN, WHO LOOK AT GRAND PARK US A NEIGHBORHOOD PARK.

AND SO THE IMPACT THE RESIDENCE.

IT'S ON THE BUSINESSES.

IT'S ON THE MUSEUM'S PEOPLE TRYING TO GET TO AND FROM.

SO THERE ARE A LOT OF IMPACTS WHEN YOU HAVE AN EVENT LIKE NASCAR AND THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE BELIEVE HAVE BEEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT SUFFICIENTLY.

CATHERINE, WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO THE RETURN OF NASCAR?

YEAH.

I THINK THAT WANT TO START OFF BY SAYING THAT NASCAR IS NOT CHICAGO'S ONLY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE.

NASCAR IS NOT ITS PRIMARY SOURCE OF EMISSIONS.

AND AS ONE BRITAIN'S THAT BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD.

BUT I THINK THAT I CAN SPEAK FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE WITHIN CHICAGO.

ENVIRONMENTAL US WHEN I SAY THAT WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE TONE THAT IT SETS FOR THE CITY AND WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT THE DIRECTION WE'RE AS A WHOLE WE'RE IN A CLIMATE CRISIS.

WE SEE THE EFFECTS OF THAT EVERY DAY ON THE NEWS.

WE HAVE RECORD BREAKING HEAT.

WE HAVE SEVERE STORMS THEY'RE HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY THAN EVER.

WE HAVE DROUGHT.

I WISH I COULD GO ON BUT WE'RE SEEING THOSE EFFECTS EVERY DAY.

SO WHY IS OR CITY LEADERSHIP CHOOSING TO REINFORCE A CULTURE THAT SAYS THAT BURNING FOSSIL FUELS FOR ENTERTAINMENT IS ACCEPTABLE.

WHY ARE WE PROMOTING THAT WOMAN?

THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER MORE SUSTAINABLE OF OPTIONS LIKE CAN BRING AS MUCH OR MORE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE CITY.

NOW, SOME SCIENTISTS HAVE THAT THOSE BECAUSE IT'S IN A LIMITED A LIMITED TIME EVENTS AREN'T CONTRIBUTING QUITE AS MUCH GASES IN FUMES AND DIMINISHING THE QUALITY OF THE AIR ON.

AND BECAUSE THOSE ROADWAYS ARE BLOCKED OFF, THERE'S A BUNCH OF CARS THAT ARE BEING TAKEN OFF THE ROAD FOR THAT PERIOD OF TIME.

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN FROM THIS RACE, RIGHT?

SO I THINK IT IS A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING A PERSON WHO IS IS SEEING A BROADER IMPACT.

THE AIR QUALITY AFFECTS EVERYONE THAT WE ARE A CITY THAT STRUGGLED WITH AIR QUALITY ISSUES FOR A LONG TIME THAT SOME NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE CITY, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AREAS ALREADY STRUGGLE TO BREATHE THAT HAVE HIGH RATES OF ASTHMA AND OTHER RESPIRATORY ISSUES.

AND WE ARE CHOOSING TO POLLUTE OUR AIR INTENTIONALLY FOR THE SAKE OF A TOURIST EVENT.

FOR THE SAKE OF ENTERTAINING AND WHEN OTHER PEOPLE ARE ALREADY STRUGGLING, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE IF WE HAD A SEVERE DROUGHT IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO AND SOME NEIGHBORHOODS ARE BARELY GETTING ACCESS TO WATER.

WOULD WE BUILD A TEMPORARY WATER PARK DOWNTOWN FOR TOURIST ATTRACTION?

WHAT WE DO THAT LESLIE, LAST YEAR, TAXPAYERS 3 AND A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS IN OVERTIME FOR POLICE OFFICERS.

REPAIRS FOR THE CITY ROADWAYS.

WILL THAT BE THE SAME THIS YEAR?

NO.

THAT'S ONE OF THE CHANGES THAT THERE JOHNSON HAS MADE THIS YEAR.

THAT AMOUNT IS GOING TO BE PAID BY BY NASCAR.

BUT OF COURSE, THE STREETS WERE ALREADY PAVED THE PAVING OF THE STREETS WAS SOMETHING THAT NASCAR DIDN'T PAY FOR LAST YEAR.

THE OVERTIME POLICE, OF COURSE, THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR ALL ALONG.

SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT THEY ARE THEY ARE TAKING ON THIS YEAR.

YOU CAN'T RUN YOUR RECENTLY SHARED A POLE AND SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE NASCAR RACE.

ASKING IF PEOPLE THINK THAT THE EVENT IS A GOOD THING FOR CHICAGO.

WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME WAS A REACTION?

YEAH.

SO I MEAN, VERY UNIVERSALLY NEGATIVE AMONGST PEOPLE WHO ARE IN OUR GROUP, WHICH ARE PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

IT WAS I THINK 95% SAID THAT THEY DID NOT THINK IT WAS A GOOD THING FOR THE CITY.

AND ADDITIONALLY, CHICAGOANS NOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE CONSULTED THIS DECISION WAS MADE BY OUR PREVIOUS MAYOR.

SO WE REALLY DID NOT GET CHANCE TO SAY ANYTHING BEFORE IT STARTED HAPPENING.

WE KNOW THAT THIS WAS THE SECOND YEAR OF A THREE-YEAR CONTRACT.

BUT BEYOND THAT, YOU KNOW, IF NASCAR SHOULD BECOME A REGULAR CHICAGO EVENT, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR REACTION TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND HOW MIGHT YOU ARGUE AGAINST THE CITY LESLIE?

I'LL START WITH YOU.

WELL, I THINK THERE ARE DEFINITELY PROS AND CONS.

I DON'T WANT TO SAY THAT ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY COUNCIL ARE OF ONE MIND.

AND SO SOME SOME THINK THAT IT IS A POSITIVE HIM BIG ISSUES WITH THAT.

I THINK THE KEY TO ME IS WHAT IS NASCAR BRINGING BACK TO GRANT PARK TO THE CITY.

THEY NEED TO PAY MORE.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THEY HAVE TV CONTRACTS THAT ARE WORTH SOMEWHERE AROUND 10 BILLION DOLLARS FOR 10 YEARS FOR ALL OF THE RACES.

AND THEY WERE ARGUING THAT THEY WANTED MORE MONEY BECAUSE THEY CAME TO CHICAGO BECAUSE THEY'RE GETTING MORE VIEWERSHIP.

THEY'RE GETTING MORE MONEY.

THEY'RE NOT SHARING IT WITH EVEN CHICAGO WHERE THE PARK DISTRICT COUPLE SECONDS LEFT.

CATHERINE, SAME QUESTION TO YOU.

YES, SO I WOULD SAY WE DO NOT.

I WOULD SAY THAT MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT IN WITHIN OUR GROUP OF THIS RACE CONTINUING.

AND I WOULD SAY THAT IF YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY AMONGST VIEWERS, PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, REACH OUT TO YOUR ALDERMAN.

GET LOUD ABOUT WHY YOU DON'T WANT THIS RACE TO CONTINUE BECAUSE IT IS NOT IN