ELPC Is at the Forefront of Greening the Yellow School Bus

It’s a healthier back-to-school season for many Midwest kids, as new electric school buses hit the road. ELPC’s years of environmental advocacy are paying off and providing cleaner transportation, quieter rides, and less air pollution for surrounding communities.

This year, we helped school districts finalize the process for hundreds of buses awarded to Midwestern districts under the federal Clean School Bus Program. We created new funding opportunities through utility partnerships, rate case agreements, and financing deals. And we celebrated a new Lion Electric manufacturing plant in Joliet, Illinois, which is expected to create hundreds of jobs. Read our look back at ELPC’s leadership in bringing clean, electric school buses to kids across the Midwest.

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News & Updates

CLIMATE

ELPC’s Climate Change Solutions for Chicagoland

From wildfire smoke and drought to severe storm flooding and heat, climate change impacts are hitting Chicago. Executive Director Howard Learner’s new Op-Ed in the Chicago Tribune provides a roadmap for six climate actions the city can take to make a difference.

SPECIAL PLACES

Coalition Calls for Expanding Michigan Wilderness

Members of a 400-group coalition, including ELPC, were in Houghton, MI recently meeting with Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). Among other issues, we urged her to introduce legislation designating four areas of the Upper Peninsula’s Ottawa National Forest as federal Wilderness.

CLEAN ENERGY

Iowa Pursues More Comprehensive Energy Planning

Due to ELPC and allies' advocacy, the Iowa Utilities Board initiated a review of state laws governing how utilities establish their rates. As ELPC Senior Attorney Josh Mandelbaum said, “a robust and transparent planning process provides accountability and helps ensure clean, low-cost options are not ignored in favor of expensive legacy fossil fuel generation.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS

New ELPC Board Chair

Welcome to Manny Flores as ELPC’s New Board Chair! And thank you Harry Drucker for your Board Chair service. Manny is stepping up from his Vice-Chair role for the past two years to become ELPC’s Board Chair.

Manny is the President and CEO of SomerCor, a Small Business Administration nonprofit lender that has made more than $1.7 billion in SBA 504 loans. After several years of exemplary service as ELPC’s Board Chair, Harry will continue as a valued member of the Board.

TAKE ACTION

Contact Your Senators & Representatives

APPRECIATION & RECOGNITION

Farewell, Summer Interns!

Thank you for all your hard work, Nisha Albert, Carolyn Bido, Cole Bielby, Maz Borening, Juliet Cairney, Lena Constable, Eshita Eva, Hallie Fox, Quentin Galliot, Patrick Holzman, Cecelia Kincaid, Thomas Miller, Nova Tebbe, Brandon Watson, Jada Williams, and Joey Lee.

Congratulations!

ELPC’s Executive Director Howard Learner was recently recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business for sustainability leadership.

NEWS ROUNDUP

Scripps News: Popular Rural Energy Program Faces Political Uncertainty
Bismarck Tribune: National Permitting Discussion Could Have Impact in North Dakota
WBEZ Reset: Youth Climate Activists Scored a Major Win in Montana. Could Illinois be Next?
ELPC Blog: Standing Together for Michigan Communities
Inside Climate News: Chicago Looks to Overhaul Its Zoning and Land Use Policies to Address Environmental Discrimination
ELPC Blog: Powering Progress: Lion Electric’s Grand Opening in Joliet, Illinois
Inside Climate News: Inundation and Injustice: Flooding Presents a Formidable Threat to the Great Lakes Region
ELPC Blog: Dreaming of a Rail Renaissance
NBC5 Chicago: Activists: CDOT's next leader must ‘enact transformational change'
The Detroit News: NHTSA Proposes Cutting Fuel Use Almost in Half by 2035
E&E News: Rural Energy Program Draws Scrutiny Over Biden Equity Plan
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Climate Change Brings More Floods. Which Great Lakes States are Best Prepared? Hint: Not Wisconsin

We're all in to protect the Midwest's environment.

Founded in 1993, the Environmental Law & Policy Center is the Midwest's leading environmental legal advocacy organization. We advocate, innovate, and litigate to protect the Midwest's environment from the Great Lakes to the Great Plains.

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