Fighting Pollution from Aging Coal Plants
Friday, June 6, 2008
Despite advances in renewable energy, the nation still depends on coal plants for more than half of its electricity. ELPC is working to reduce pollution from the decrepit Fisk and Crawford coal plants, located in Chicago’s Little Village and Pilsen neighborhoods, respectively. These facilities are the two largest sources of sulfur dioxide emissions in all of Cook County. In late July 2009, ELPC and a coalition of Illinois health and environmental groups filed a “60-day notice letter” informing Midwest Generation of their intent to sue the company because its coal plants violate the opacity limits set by the company’s Clean Air Act operating permit. This action helped spur the US EPA and Illinois Attorney General to file a lawsuit against Midwest Generation in August 2009. ELPC and our partners joined to suit in October 2009.
In April 2010, ELPC joined Chicago Alderman Joe Moore and a coalition of business and community groups to introduce a City ordinance that would significantly reduce soot and greenhouse gas pollution from Chicago’s coal plants. The Clean Power Ordinance would make Chicago the first city in the nation to regulate pollution from coal plants.
Many objections to reducing coal plant pollution focus on the cost of pollution controls, without considering the costs generated by unchecked pollution. In late 2010, ELPC released reports on the massive public health costs borne by area residents due to soot and smog pollution from the Fisk and Crawford plants in Chicago as well as Midwest Generation’s nearby Waukegan coal plant and the Dominion Resources’ State Line coal plant on the Chicago/Northwest Indiana border.
Promoting Renewable Energy
ELPC’s overall goal is to accomplish a transition from the region’s current resource portfolio, comprised mainly of nuclear and older coal-burning plants, towards a more diverse, sustainable and less polluting portfolio including wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy. Renewable resources are the fuel of the future and passage of renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in every Midwestern state is a critical step to building a clean energy future. ELPC continues to lead the fight to pass or increase Renewable Portfolio Standards in every Midwestern state and on the federal level. Illinois’ Renewable Energy Standard (RES) passed in 2007, requiring Illinois utilities to supply 25% of their power from renewable sources by 2025. ELPC was instrumental in crafting and advocating for two major bills passed in 2010 to ramp up the Illinois’ solar energy production. We also worked to establishing net metering and in November, we released a report on the extensive wind energy supply chain in Illinois. Our Farm Energy project continues to grow, utilizing legislation like the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to promote both environmental and economic interests at once.
Advocating a Midwest High-Speed Rail Network
In an era of high gasoline prices, expressway congestion at all hours, airport capacity constraints, and a shrinking pool of rural transportation choices, the Midwest needs improved passenger rail service now more than ever. With ten major cities within a 400-mile radius of Chicago, the Midwest represents the nation’s greatest opportunity to develop high-speed rail. A regional high-speed rail network would significantly reduce traffic congestion, travel time, air pollution, and urban sprawl. And at 10% of the cost of constructing new highways, a high-speed rail network with its hub in Chicago just makes sense.
Supporting Electronic Waste Recycling
Electronic waste, or E-Waste, includes TVs, computers, monitors, and other electronic equipment. It is the fastest growing part of the solid waste stream. Only about 12 percent of E-Waste is recycled nationwide and the rest ends up either landfilled or shipped abroad, where it becomes mountains of trash plaguing poor communities. Furthermore, according to the U.S. EPA, even the tiniest amounts of the toxic substances in E-waste can pollute ground water if leak out of even the most well-run landfill. ELPC fought for legislation that successfully passed in September 2008 requiring electronics manufacturers to collect and recycle or reuse electronic waste. In 2010, ELPC conducted a survey of E-waste stakeholders, accruing a wealth of feedback to inform improvements to the law. We look forward to the General Assembly’s vote on these proposals in 2011 as we continue discussions with key legislators and build a coalition of manufacturers, recyclers, and collectors to support such amendments. The legislation makes both environmental and economic sense, and acts as an economic development tool to create jobs and revenue for residents and business.
ELPC’s advocacy also helped pass a bill to control dangerous mercury pollution from an often overlooked source: mercury thermostats. While it is illegal to sell mercury thermostats in Illinois today, tens of millions of mercury thermostats are still in use across the country. Each one of these thermostats contains about four grams of mercury, a potent neurotoxin that has been shown to cause loss of IQ and may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Illinois’ Mercury Thermostat Collection Act, passed in 2010, requires manufacturers to collect and recycle the mercury in older thermostats.
Tags: Illinois
