Ivan Moreno, imoreno@nrdc.org, 773-799-6455
Renner Barsella, renner.barsella@sierraclub.org, 217-390-9394
PEORIA, IL -- Following a Request for Proposal process, $8.6 million dollars in the settlement funds will be awarded to local projects benefiting communities in the Peoria area. The funds are a result of a settlement agreement with Vistra Energy to retire the E.D. Edwards coal plant. The Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Respiratory Health Association (RHA) worked with the NAACP Peoria Branch, Illinois Peoples’ Action, Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance (CIHCA), and Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) to evaluate and grant proposals and decide how best to allocate the funding.
As of Friday, February 14, all of the funding applicants have been notified of the grant decisions, and the list of grantees and grant amounts has been filed with the court. There will be a press conference at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Peoria at 10:30 AM on Thursday with representatives from the plaintiffs and grantees.
What: Press conference to announce Peoria-area projects awarded $8.6 million from E.D. Edwards settlement
When: Thursday, February 20, 2020, at 10:30 AM
Where: Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 305 S Madison Park Terrace, Peoria, IL 61605
Background:
A settlement agreement between the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Respiratory Health Association (RHA), and Vistra Energy to resolve the Clean Air Act lawsuit brought by environmental organizations in 2013. The settlement provides for the retirement of the E.D. Edwards coal-fired power plant by the end of 2022 -- subject to regulatory approval -- and $8.6 million in funding for workforce development and public health and environmental projects that benefit Peoria-area communities.
Following approval of the settlement, plaintiffs and three community partner organizations developed a plan to award a set $8.6 million for local projects to benefit communities in the Peoria area most impacted by the Edwards plant and its closure. The agreement allocates two categories of funds from Vistra Energy: $1.7 million for economic transition projects focused on job training or re-training available to Edwards employees and Peoria-area residents, and $6.88 million for projects delivering environmental and public health benefits to local communities.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.