Bringing Clean Cars to Illinois

Illinois and other Midwest states are moving to adopt tough new standards to reduce pollution, benefiting the region’s health and reducing global warming pollution-while also improving the area’s economy. We’re working to make Illinois the lead state in the Midwest that ensures all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks will emit lower levels of global warming and other air pollutants while improving public health, and saving Illinois consumers money at the pump. ELPC is part of a coalition of groups fighting to win adoption of standards requiring auto manufacturers to build cleaner cars.

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 being either landfilled or shipped abroad, where it becomes mountains of trash on which third world kids climb. 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 was signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in September, 2008 requiring electronics manufacturers to collect and recycle or reuse electronic waste. The legislation makes both environmental and economic sense, and acts as an economic development tool to create jobs and revenue for residents and business.

Fighting Oil Refinery Expansion

Eight oil refinery expansions have been proposed across the Midwest over the past few months due in large part to the newly commercially viable tar sands in Alberta, Canada. Alberta tar sands or Canadian crude is sandy, petroleum rich deposits which can be harvested, then transported to oil refineries to be processed and converted into workable fuel for our cars and trucks, among other things. The potential increase in global warming from the oil refinery expansions is huge. One proposed new oil refinery in Hyperion, SD would add 19 million tons of pollutants - the equivalent of 4 to 6 new coal-fired power plants to the state. The proposed expansion by BP in northwest Indiana is reported to increase global warming pollution by 40%.

Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards

ELPC’s overall goal is to accomplish a transition from the region’s current resource portfolio, currently comprised almost exclusively of nuclear and older coal-burning plants, towards a more diverse, sustainable and less polluting portfolio including wind energy, biomass and solar. 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. Currently Iowa and Wisconsin have RPS requirements (2% and 2.2% respectively) while Xcel Energy of Minnesota has a 15% RPS requirement. Illinois and Michigan represent good opportunities for passage of RPS’s in the near future.

Retiring Dirty Coal Plants

Despite advances in renewable energy, the nation still depends on coal-fired power 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. ELPC has petitioned the U.S. EPA to issue final permits for these facilities on the grounds that Illinois EPA failed to issue its own permits within the Clean Air Act’s 90-day requirement and did not comply with a U.S. EPA order.

High Speed Rail

In an era of $4/gallon gasoline, 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.

Interconnection Standards

ELPC is working In Iowa to increase the use of less-polluting, energy efficient, and renewable electricity generation. One goal is to reduce reliance on old, dirty, centralized power plants and advance “distributed generation” – literally shifting some generation of electricity to wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, combined heat & power (CHP) systems, and other clean and efficient resources that are distributed across the electric grid and are often sited at a customer’s home or small business.

In order to accomplish this structural shift, state policies must be reformed. Statewide interconnection standards streamline the process of connecting distributed resources to the utility grid. The fees, delays, and seemingly arbitrary requirements that often predominate in the absence of standardized rules are one of the most serious barriers to widespread investment in clean energy. Net metering is a special metering and billing agreement between utilities and their customers which allows customers to sell excess electricity back to the grid and gives customers a financial incentive to invest in renewable sources of energy.