Latest news with #IllinoisEnvironmentalCouncil
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Bring Your Own New Clean Energy': a proposed fix for Illinois' power grid shortcomings draws criticism from manufacturers
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — Illinois has a growing energy problem. There are a few reasons for why that is — coal and natural gas plants are closing, and regional grid operators are acting too slowly in connecting new wind and solar projects to the larger grid, but above all else, the state is using more energy than it ever has. Data centers, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing projects all are utilizing more energy than state lawmakers say they could have imagined when they passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. 'When we negotiated the bill, no one talked about data centers. We had heard of them, but no one ever saw them becoming an issue,' Senator Bill Cunningham said. 'They've become a gigantic issue.' Environmentalists want the state to require any new project looking to set up shop in Illinois that needs over 25 megawatts of energy will have to supply their own clean energy. 'I think the whole country is going to face this the demands of data centers,' Jen Walling with the Illinois Environmental Council said. 'You know, nothing is free. We're paying for it somehow. So that is a way that we need to address that by bringing cheap renewable energy.' They even have a name for the idea. 'We're looking at 'bring your own new clean energy,' Walling said. 'We have our anagram of B.Y.O.N.C.E' Businesses say the idea will have a very different economic impact than the global sensation its named after. 'If you're going to add significant cost to the state of Illinois in energy, you're going to see less economic development and less large projects coming to the state of Illinois,' President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers Association Mark Denzler said. Illinois would be the only state with this policy, according to Denzler, and he says it would put the state at a huge disadvantage, 'Illinois is competing, for example, against Wisconsin and Michigan and Ohio. And they can assure that company that they can hook up to the grid and they can start constructing within a few months versus Illinois. It might take a couple of years to build this new project and get hooked up,' Denzler said. Other ideas included in the draft energy package included a partial lift of the nuclear moratorium. The ban on new nuclear construction was first put in place in the 1970's. New nuclear energy is seen as a long term play for more energy production. Illinois already has one of the biggest nuclear fleets as part of it's power grid. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois GOP criticizes clean energy plan over cost concerns
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Illinois Republicans are sounding the alarm about a proposed clean energy plan, saying it will only increase costs for you. The goal of the Clean and Reliability Grid Affordability Act is to accelerate Illinois' transition to renewable energy. It would upgrade the power grid and create a battery storage plan. Large data centers would also be required to supply their own energy. 'Illinois is on the brink of an energy crisis, a crisis driven by bad policies from the Pritzker administration,' said State Rep. Travis Weaver (R-Pekin). 'The Pritzker Power Plan is bad for job creators, bad for families, bad for taxpayers and ratepayers,' said State Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria). Supporters like the Illinois Environmental Council said the bill will accelerate clean energy, boost reliability, and protect consumers from high energy bills. But Republicans said they're not buying it. 'You have to have an environment for economic growth. You can't offer incentives for data centers and then two years later, turn around and say, no, we want to penalize data centers. We require data centers to now bring their own power. And again, not just data centers, but all sorts of manufacturing opportunities that could be a lifeblood for a small town, providing hundreds of jobs throughout the state of Illinois,' said Spain. 'Energy intensive manufacturers can expect to experience as much as a $3 million rise in their energy costs without effects. This sends a clear message from the governor. Manufacturing companies are not welcome here,' said Weaver. Republicans said the state's energy challenges will result in an increase of 18-22% on your Ameren bill this summer. They said they need to pass a new energy plan, but not this one. 'I think the timing is disastrous with what we're facing for pricing increases throughout the summer. So we need to go back to the drawing board and think about how we're actually going to get fixed,' said Spain. 'House Republicans have a full slate of proposals ready to right the ship as we enter the last few days of our legislative session. Let's remember bad policy brought us here. Only smart policy can get us out,' added Weaver. The legislative session ends May 31. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Town hall focuses on future of regional public transportation; ‘It has to be accessible, affordable and energy-efficient'
People in Lake County using public transportation want to find the easiest and quickest way to get where they are going, be it by bus or train. Many want the modes of transit to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Members of the Illinois General Assembly, with support from public interest groups like the Sierra Club, the Illinois Environmental Council, the Climate Cabinet and others, are trying to create the organizational structure and funding to make it happen. Now operated by four separate agencies — Pace, Metra, the CTA and the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) — in a six-county area around Chicago, there is legislation pending in the state legislature to transform the quartet into a single agency. Known as the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act (MMA), Michael Podgers, the Midwest policy lead for the Climate Cabinet, said a unified agency could coordinate schedules and fares to make a trip more efficient and less time-consuming. 'Right now, a bus will show up right after a train leaves,' Podgers said. 'A coordinated schedule will have the bus arrive five minutes before the train, and wait five minutes after it arrives so the people getting off the train can board the bus.' Podgers was one of two activists and eight state legislators to speak at a Transportation Town Hall Wednesday in Waukegan, explaining the current state of public transportation in northeast Illinois and how it can be reformed in an environmentally positive way. Dany Robles, the climate policy director for the Illinois Environmental Council, said his trip from his home in Chicago to Waukegan was an example of the possibilities. He took a bus to a CTA train, and then boarded a Metra train to Waukegan. 'It was a short walk here (to the Christ Episcopal Church) from the station,' Robles said. 'In any form, taking public transportation will reduce greenhouse gases. The more people use it, there will be less cars on the road.' Along with creating a more efficient system, public transportation locally and nationwide is facing a fiscal cliff. When people stopped using public transportation during the coronavirus pandemic, federal funding covered the shortfall, keeping it afloat. State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, introduced the MMA in January. He said ridership is increasing, but fares are not enough to cover the $771 million differential needed to keep the trains and buses running. Even more is required for the future. 'Federal funding will run out by 2026,' Villivalam said. 'We don't (yet) know how to fill the gap for next year. We need $1.5 billion to get to 2050. That's our goal. We need $1.5 billion, not $771 million.' Public transportation needs to be as energy-efficient as possible, but state Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, said it needs to be more. Plans must be equitable, enabling the people who most need to use buses and trains to do so. 'It has to be accessible, affordable and energy-efficient, and reach our most vulnerable population,' Dias said. 'It's a question of equity and accessibility. Those with low income and with disabilities need it. They are among our most vulnerable.' 'It has to be safe, equitable and sensible,' added state Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove. Chair of the state Senate Transportation Committee, Villivalam said having four agencies managing public transportation in the Chicago area is not the most efficient method. It worked 50 years ago when it was formed. He is looking at something that will be sustainable through 2050. 'We need to look at what will work, what level of funding is needed and how is it going to be funded. There needs to be coordination between Pace, Metra and the CTA,' Villivalam said. 'All the people want is to get from point A to point B.' State Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, made it clear what she wants to see when the MMA bill gets to the House of Representatives chamber. She wants to see an agency that does not include the RTA. 'The RTA is very, very Chicago-heavy,' Mayfield said. 'There are bus drivers in Chicago making over $300,000 a year because of overtime. The system is broken. How are we going to fix it? People want to get from point A to point B, and do it efficiently.' Along with Lake County, the others included are Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Will counties.
Chicago Tribune
14-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Afternoon Briefing: Kane County sheriff blames bail reform for increase in jail population
Good afternoon, Chicago. A former lobbyist for an Illinois environmental organization has filed a lawsuit against her former employer for pregnancy discrimination, alleging the organization's executive director told her not to have a baby during the legislative session and ultimately fired her when she was eight months pregnant. The lawsuit was filed by Lisa Koerner against the Illinois Environmental Council, an advocacy group that lobbies for environmental causes. Koerner worked as the group's government affairs director from June 2023 until she was terminated in February 2024, according to the lawsuit. Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices. Kane County sheriff says Illinois bail reform to blame for increase in jail population and arrest warrants At the Kane County Board Committee of the Whole meeting, Sheriff Ron Hain said the state's new bail reform is to blame for recent public safety data that shows an increase in the county's jail population and arrest warrant entries. Read more here. Can suspending a cage-free egg law solve the soaring price problem? Nevada takes a crack at it Back when egg prices remained securely under $2 a dozen in 2021, Nevada joined several other states concerned about animal welfare in requiring cage-free eggs. Read more here. Notre Dame reportedly hiring Detroit Lions executive Mike Martin as its football GM Mike Martin would join the Irish after two decades in scouting and personnel in the NFL. He spent four seasons with the Detroit Lions. Read more here. Review: Hubbard Street Dance is back on familiar ground for its winter series It's not a time capsule. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's revival of Ohad Naharin's 'Black Milk' after more than 20 years in the vault is more a wink and a nod. Read more here. More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories: 30 things to know about 'Saturday Night Live' ahead of the 50th anniversary special
