While our state is rapidly expanding clean energy generation across the state, Illinois' electric sector is still the 5th most carbon polluting in the United States. Illinois also has the 4th most polluting electric sector for sulfur dioxide emissions, which contribute to asthma attacks, cardiovascular disease and premature death. The biggest contributors to Illinois' pollution footprint are the aging, coal fired power plants that are still operating throughout Northern, Central and Southern Illinois. The majority of these coal plants are owned by large, out-of-state corporations who sell power to regional energy markets.
Illinois Should Invest in Local Communities, Not Texas Corporations
Across the country, coal-fired power plants are closing at a rapid rate as the economics of U.S electricity generation have undergone radical transformation in the last decade. Coal has grown increasingly uncompetitive in every energy market due to prices for solar, wind, and natural gas. Even as President Trump has promised a resurgence of the coal industry and rolled back environmental protections from the Obama Administration, coal plants continue at the same rate under Trump as in the previous Administration. A coal plant has retired every 15 days since Trump’s election and 27 coal fired power plants were announced for early closure or gas conversion in 2017. Already, 580 coal units have retired in the U.S. at the average age of 52 years and 24 coal units in Illinois have retired at the average of 57.
Learn more about the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign here and read our recent report "Cap and Run: Toxic Coal Ash Left Behind by Big Polluters Threatens Illinois Water".