The Award recognizes ELPC’s work to promote smart growth and energy efficiency, in particular our years of leadership and advocacy to establish Energy Efficient Building Codes for residential and commercial buildings in Illinois.

 A U.S. Department of Energy study estimated that Illinois’ Residential Energy Efficient Building Code will result in at least 15% savings annually on utility bills and will average homeowner more than $240 per year.

“…For many years, federal and state taxpayers have provided trillions of dollars of support for highways, airports and air service. It’s now time for public investment in high-speed rail service to provide a third intercity transportation option that works better. According to an economic study conducted for the Midwest state Departments of Transportation, the new Midwest high-speed rail network can create 57,000 permanent new jobs across the region, produce more than a billion dollars in additional household income, and spur almost $5 billion in private new development near Midwest rail stations. Let’s seize the opportunity to capture these benefits.”

Read the full OpEd.

ELPC has been working with a coalition of health, environmental and community groups to force Midwest Generation comply with the Clean Air Act and clean up its coal plants. On July 28, 2009, ELPC and the coalition filed a 60 day notice of their intent to sue Midwest Generation for Clean Air Act violations.

“Midwest Generation’s own reports show that they have been breaking the law and endangering public health for years,” said Faith Bugel, Senior Attorney for ELPC. ”We’re encouraged to see that U.S. EPA and the State of Illinois are holding Midwest Generation accountable for breaking the law. ELPC and our colleagues will remain engaged as the lawsuit moves forward.”  

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health have found that pollution from nine coal plants in northern Illinois causes 311 premature deaths, 4100 emergency room visits, and 21,500 asthma attacks annually. Midwest Generation owns coal plants in Chicago, Waukegan, Joliet, Romeoville and Pekin, Illinois.

Read Coverage in the Plainfield Sun and Wall Street Journal

Statewide, organic waste represents 1/3 of the trash brought to Illinois landfills. The new bill creates smarter regulations for commercial composting, making it economically attractive for investors to begin commercial operations. Business plans are already in the works for services that pick up food scraps from Chicago restaurants, compost the material and sell the end product. Composting businesses will create new income and four times as many jobs as traditional waste disposal according to the Institute for Local Self Reliance.

“This bill will literally allow Illinois businesses to make wealth out of waste,” said Mel Nickerson, Staff Attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center. “We’ve gotten a lot smarter about reducing waste from materials like paper and aluminum. Now Illinois can change how we deal with food waste, allowing us to create rich compost, lower green house gases and turn a profit.”

A loophole in the Clean Air Act has allowed existing power plants to avoid installing modern pollution controls. ELPC is working with numerous environmental groups, state governments and others to require aging coal-fired power plants to install these modern technologies.

In Chicago, we are working to reduce pollution from the Fisk and Crawford coal plants, as well as other plants owned by Midwest Generation. On April 13, 2010, ELPC Senior Attorney Faith Bugel, Chicago Alderman Joe Moore and a coalition of business and community groups unveiled 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.

Demanding Stricter Pollution Standards for New Coal Plants

In Michigan, ELPC was lead counsel for a coalition that opposed requested permits for the new 600-megawatt Wolverine coal plant proposed for Rogers City, Michigan.  Our work to challenge Wolverine was been a massive, coordinated statewide effort which includes numerous letters to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Governor Granholm’s office, documenting the legal deficiencies with 8 coal plants proposed for the state.  The coalition scored a major victory when Governor Jennifer Granholm and the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (DNRE) Director Rebecca Humphries denied a permit needed to build the controversial plant.

In Kentucky, ELPC represents the Kentucky Chapter of the Sierra Club and two other Kentucky organizations, Save the Valley and Valley Watch, in a challenge to a Prevention of Significant Deterioration/Title V air permit issued to Louisville Gas and Electric.

As new coal plant units are proposed and enter the permitting phase, ELPC is acting as a regional watchdog to identify potential new permit challenges and gaps in legal coverage.

Recent Highlights

“Renewable energy is creating jobs and income in Illinois while protecting public health and our environment for future generations,” said Barry Machett, Co-Legislative Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “This bill brings more companies on board to develop the clean energy of the future and ensures we will have a diverse, sustainable supply of energy to meet our state’s needs.”

Read ELPC’s press release

CREATE received new funding through Illinois’ recent capital bill that will move the project forward. This is an important victory for the freight rail industry the Midwest high speed rail network. 

As ELPC Deputy Director Kevin Brubaker told the Associated Press, “CREATE and high-speed rail for the Midwest are inextricably linked. To make high-speed rail work, we need to clear up congestion in Chicago.”

Read the full article in Forbes Magazine

We need your help to raise public awareness and support for this historic bill. After successfully passing the bill in the House of Representatives it is now up to the Senate and President Obama to ensure that the Unites States takes action to solve climate change and adopt a coherent clean energy policy.

If you would like to learn about future volunteer opportunities to help raise support for this historic environmental legislation please contact Katy Hintzen today by calling 773-812-3567 or e-mailing khintzen@elpc.org.

This conversion could prompt millions of Americans to dispose of older television sets. Each television contains large amounts of toxins such as lead and mercury that can end up in our soil and groundwater if televisions aren’t recycled.

ELPC helped to spread the word about the importance of recycling televisions and other e-waste through an interview on Chicago Public Radio and a segment on NBC 5.

ELPC worked with the state of Illinois to enact one of the toughest e-waste recycling and reuse laws in the nation. When Illinois’ e-waste recycling law takes effect January 1, 2010, manufacturers will begin creating more options for consumers to recycle electronics at no cost.

Here are some important facts about the digital tv conversion:

1. If you use cable or satellite TV, you don’t need to change anything.

2. You don’t need to dispose of older analog TV’s, but you’ll need a digital tv converter box to recieve broadcasts. Find out how to get a converter box at www.dtv.gov

3. If you decide to replace your television, please take it to a responsible recycler. You can locate a recycler near you at this website. A list of TV recycling options in the City of Chicago is available here.

“President Obama is driving automakers to develop cleaner cars and innovative pollution reduction technologies that the public wants,” said Howard A. Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “Illinois drivers will save more than $500 million per year by using 280 million gallons less of gasoline when these standards take hold.”

The new clean car standards will cut global warming pollution from passenger vehicles by 30 percent by 2016. The transportation sector is the second largest source of global warming pollution nationwide.  Pollution from cars and trucks is also a leading cause of asthma and other public health problems.

Read ELPC’s press release.