October 2017
ALERT: Action Needed Now!
Texas based Dynegy, Inc. is moving to gut clean air regulations for its coal-fired Illinois power plants and at the same time push for special funding from the Illinois Legislature. Your calls and emails are needed now to let your state Representative, Senator, and Governor Rauner know that you oppose these requests. Since November of 2016, Dynegy has met behind closed doors at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to get air standards for its power plants weakened. If they succeed, highly polluting plants like Edwards south of Peoria can run more without any concerns for reaching the new permit levels. See the Chicago Tribune story "Pollution could increase as Rauner EPA moves to rescue coal plants". Dynegy is also working to get special funding support to prop up their aged fleet of Illinois coal plants, which are not financially able to compete with gas and renewable energy like wind and solar. For more information see Crain's Chicago Business article "More power bailout talk in Springfield".
Please phone your state Representative and Senator and ask that they vote no on any Dynegy bail-out legislation. This company has repeatedly claimed economic hardship as an excuse to have its pollution regulations weakened and now it wants financial help. These plants are a huge burden on public health because of the pollution they emit. Phone Governor Rauner and ask that he deny air permit changes that increase the pollution caps for Dynegy coal-fired power plants.
Phone numbers for Peoria area state legislators and Governor Rauner are below.
Senator Dave Koehler 217-782-8250
Senator Chuck Weaver 217-782-1942
Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth 217-782-3186
Rep. Ryan Spain 217-782-8108
Governor Bruce Rauner 217- 782-0244