Latest news with #IllinoisPollutionControlBoard
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The bid to make Illinois a leader on electric trucking
A coalition of environmental justice advocates is pushing Illinois to become the first Midwest state to adopt California's Advanced Clean Trucks standards designed to spur a transition to zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles over the next decade. 'Air pollution is an equity issue,' Griselda Chavez, an environmental justice organizer with Warehouse Workers for Justice, said at a recent press conference. The group represents workers and residents in communities heavily impacted by warehouses, including the Chicago-area town of Joliet, a major logistics hub. 'Black, brown, and low-income communities in and around Joliet are disproportionately affected by diesel pollution, large amounts of truck traffic, and increasing growth of the warehouse industry,' Chavez said. 'Those workers also go home to their families and go to schools that are surrounded by large amounts of truck traffic and poor air quality.' The Illinois Pollution Control Board is considering adopting not only California's clean truck standards but also the Golden State's Advanced Clean Cars II program, which would phase out the sale of most non-electric passenger vehicles by 2035, and its stricter nitrogen oxide limits on heavy-duty vehicles. The deliberations are happening as the Trump administration seeks to block California's unique authority to set vehicle emission standards that exceed federal rules. Illinois advocates have focused mostly on the clean trucks program because of the health and environmental justice implications of diesel-powered trucks throughout the state. They are especially concerned about places like Joliet and Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, a largely immigrant community where warehouses have also proliferated. In 2023, the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization worked with the Center for Neighborhood Technology on a truck-counting study that showed on one June day, an average of 1.5 heavy-duty trucks per minute drove along a residential street in the heart of the community. Sally Burgess, downstate lead organizing representative for Sierra Club's Illinois chapter, told the Pollution Control Board during a March 10 hearing that she counted more than 300 diesel-burning semi-trucks during the 65-mile drive between her home in central Illinois and the state's capitol. 'All along our route, on both sides of the highway, farm fields, rustic barns, cows and other farm animals, some homes,' said Burgess. 'Some would refer to it as a bucolic rural setting — clogged with diesel trucks.' The Advanced Clean Trucks program would require manufacturers selling in Illinois to ensure that between 40% and 75% of their heavy-duty vehicle sales are zero-emissions by 2035, with the percentage depending on type of vehicle. They would have to sell higher percentages of electric medium-sized non-tractor trucks than pickup trucks and vans as well as larger tractor-trailers. Manufacturers could also comply by purchasing credits from other companies that go beyond those targets, or by shifting credits from types of vehicles where they exceed the mandates. 'If, for example, a truck-maker sells a lot of zero-emission delivery vans but doesn't offer a zero-emission version of their box trucks, they can convert their extra [pickup and van] credits into [midsize truck] credits and still maintain compliance,' said Trisha DelloIacono, head of policy for Calstart, a national nonprofit focused on clean transportation policy and market development, by email. DelloIacono said demand for zero-emissions heavy-duty vehicles is so high that manufacturers should not have trouble meeting the sales targets if they make the inventory available. After a certain number of years, those that don't comply either through electric vehicle sales or credit purchases could be fined. Advocates say that the state mandates benefit people nationwide since they motivate manufacturers to increase their EV offerings. Manufacturers including Daimler Truck's Freightliner, Volvo, Navistar, GM, and Ford have introduced or increased sales of electric trucks since California adopted its clean trucks program, according to Calstart, and companies have also rolled out charging infrastructure and heavy-duty 'charging-as-a-service' offerings that include installation, maintenance, and management. 'If Illinois adopts [the Advanced Clean Trucks program], we could expect to see new truck charging stations pop up at rest stops along major freight corridors like I-57, I-80, and I-70,' said DelloIacono. 'This in turn would make it easier for fleet operators in nearby states to start adopting zero-emission trucks for regional-haul and long-haul routes.' Ann Schreifels, who testified before the Pollution Control Board, said she saw firsthand how regulations drive industry innovation when she worked at the machinery manufacturing firm Caterpillar in Peoria, Illinois. Schreifels, who retired about five years ago, said she does not speak for the company but recalled how industry opposition to new federal emissions regulations gave way to progress once they took effect. 'The entire industry was against the regulations,' she told Canary Media. 'Change is hard. It took the fuel manufacturers, suppliers, designers, software engineers all working together to solve the problem. But the end result was the company made the best engine they'd ever made — more fuel efficient, more reliable, more durable, it saved customers money. Despite the fact that industry is going to complain and lobby against regulations, that's when innovation actually happens.' A national association of small businesses told regulators they oppose the program and that it could drive businesses out of Illinois. But other companies have expressed support, including Kansas-based electric truck manufacturer Orange EV and Rivian, the electric pickup truck manufacturer with a factory in Normal, Illinois. Tom Van Heeke, environmental and legal senior policy advisor at Rivian, said in an email, 'The standards would set Illinois apart as the Midwest's undisputed priority market for EVs, giving adjacent industries — from EV suppliers to charging providers — investment certainty while delivering EV choice and cleaner air to businesses and communities across the state.' The federal Clean Air Act governs vehicle emissions but grants California the right to receive waivers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allowing the state to impose stricter standards. A 1990 Clean Air Act amendment also lets other states adopt California's standards. President Donald Trump has long denounced California's vehicle emissions programs and during his first term revoked the state's waivers. The Biden administration's EPA granted California's Advanced Clean Trucks waiver in 2023 and in December 2024 granted the state's Advanced Clean Cars II waiver, letting it ban sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035. On Jan. 13, ahead of Trump's inauguration, California preemptively withdrew its request for a waiver to implement its Advanced Clean Fleets program that would have ordered all commercial trucking fleets to transition to zero-emissions between 2035 and 2042. The EPA can revoke waivers through a lengthy process, as it did during the previous Trump administration, but Republicans have more recently proposed overturning waivers through the Congressional Review Act, which gives Congress power to invalidate rules within 60 days after they are passed. On March 6, the U.S. Government Accountability Office opined that California's vehicle emissions waivers are not rules and hence immune from that law, affirming its similar 2023 finding. Nonetheless, Chicago attorney Timothy French advised the Illinois Pollution Control Board during a March 11 hearing that these federal efforts make it more challenging for Illinois to adopt the Advanced Clean Trucks program. 'You have to factor all this in if you're considering what proponents are asking you to do,' said French, who has represented trade organizations in regulatory proceedings and litigated before the U.S. Supreme Court and federal and state courts.
Chicago Tribune
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
State board ruling may bring longtime dispute over a Waukegan coal ash ponds to a close
A ruling by the Illinois Pollution Control Board disallowing NRG Generation's request for leniency handling the two coal ash ponds and the 'grassy field' which contains coal ash deposits at its decommissioned Waukegan power plant puts a longtime dispute closer to an end. Ruling NRG will get no special treatment from the state, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) is now in a position to move toward imposing a solution on NRG. Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor said in a statement city officials will soon meet with members of the IEPA. 'This is a major win for Waukegan, as our community has spent over 10 years pushing for the removal of the unlined and leaking coal ash along Lake Michigan,' Taylor said. 'The IEPA has confirmed these sites are contaminating groundwater with dangerous toxins.' The Illinois Pollution Control Board ruled in a 16-page opinion March 20 in Chicago, agreeing with the IEPA all three sites on the property set aside for containing coal ash still have the pollutant on the land. 'The (grassy) area, the east pond and the west pond were originally a settling basin for sluiced (coal ash) and the area still contains historic (coal ash),' the board wrote in its opinion. 'The discharges from the area have caused a negative environmental impact.' After the state enacted the Coal Ash Pollution Prevention Act in 2019, NRG decommissioned the plant in 2022. At the time, it put a plan in motion to remove the east pond, cap the west pond and made no plans for the grassy field. Taylor continues to advocate for full removal. 'Waukegan will continue to push forward with our legislators and community partners to ensure proper cleanup of this site to protect the long-term health of our people and our lakefront,' Taylor said in the statement. After proposing to remove the east pond and cap the west pond, NRG decided to cap both last year. Ann Duhon, a NRG spokesperson at the time, said the procedure is better suited to the situation. 'There are a number of risks associated with removing the coal ash including the risk of exposure to people, the environment and the community,' Duhon said in an email in May of last year. Making it clear NRG violated Illinois law in its handling of the ponds, the board ruled the grassy field is part of the package for cleaning the site because it presents 'environmental and health risks,' according to the opinion. 'Grassy field is an inactive surface impoundment that has never been closed by removal, nor has any type of low permeability cover been installed on top of it,' the board wrote in its opinion. Taylor, state Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, and State Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, all wanted to push for the complete removal of both ponds as well as proper treatment for the grassy field. In early 2022, Johnson introduced legislation that passed the senate to require NRG to remove both ponds. As Mayfield tried to push it through the state House of Representatives, she did not bring it for a vote because there were not enough favorable legislators. Johnson said Thursday she believes legislation is the best way to assure the ponds are removed. She believes NRG will oppose any effort to take action and the best way to ensure compliance is through a law requiring it. 'We must pass legislation to ensure coal ash is properly removed from the Waukegan site,' Johnson said. 'Holding polluters accountable and safeguarding our water, air and public health for generations to come.' Introducing legislation when the Illinois General Assembly opened in 2023, Mayfield made another effort to enshrine the removal of the ponds in law. Again, she fell a few votes short and it did not come to the floor for a vote. She authored a similar bill early this year. 'It had its second reading and when there is a 60-vote majority it will come to the floor for a vote,' Mayfield said stressing she was working to secure the necessary support. She is not disclosing how many votes she has or who they are for fear NRG will lobby them against it. 'NRG has been lobbying very hard against it,' Mayfield said. 'They'll push ever harder if they know who they are.'
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Illinois small business advocates warn of exodus over proposed emissions standards
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois Pollution Control Board is considering adopting strict California-style vehicle emissions standards and banning gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, a move that small business advocates will force businesses out of the state. The Illinois Pollution Control Board met with the Environmental Protection Agency in Springfield on Monday to take testimony from environmental and other advocates urging the state to make car and truck emissions standards stronger than federal regulations. National Federation of Independent Small Business Illinois State Director Noah Finley said the rules would force businesses to leave the state. 'This proposal would put Illinois' small businesses at a disadvantage compared to their peers in neighboring states,' he said. 'Many NFIB members report that they would consider scaling back their business, moving to another state, or closing/selling their business if these mandates go into effect. They're already wrestling with years of inflation and workforce challenges. The last thing they need is another bureaucratic mandate that further increases the cost of doing business in Illinois.' President Donald Trump has favored a reliance on fossil fuels and has declared a national energy emergency amid promises to cut energy prices by 50%. 'If you can't breathe, nothing else matters,' Dr. Juanita Mora, a Chicago physician who is on the national board of the American Lung Association. 'We want clean air for everyone, because it translates into our lungs being open, our children being able to play in playgrounds.' The board is considering adopting California's Advanced Clean Cars II, Advanced Clean Trucks, and the Heavy-Duty Low NOx Omnibus Rules, which would phase out gas and diesel-powered cars, pickup trucks, vans, and SUVs, leading to a complete ban on non-battery electric vehicles by 2035. An exemption in the federal Clean Air Act allowed California to enact stricter emissions standards and allowed other states to either adopt California's rules or adhere to federal regulations. Sixteen other states , the state claims. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
