Illinois Electric Utilities Must Revise Plans to Heed Climate Goals

In December, the Illinois Commerce Commission rejected both ComEd and Ameren’s grid plans and rate hike requests. The commission said the plans did not meet standards such as transparency, equity, affordability, and the ability to meet the state’s clean energy goals. ELPC, along with other nonprofits and advocacy organizations, intervened in these rate cases last month, raising key questions about the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the proposed grid plans.

ELPC Senior Attorney Brad Klein said after the ComEd decision: “Today’s decision is a bold order …We’re excited to see how seriously the Commission is taking [the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act] and accelerating new opportunities for customers to benefit from solar and other clean energy investments. We are looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and filling in the gaps the Commission identified.”

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News & Updates

CLEAN TRANSPORTATION

Midwest Receives Another $140 Million for Electric School Buses

ELPC has been working to expand the use of electric school buses across the region for years. This week, US EPA awarded funding for 41 rural and urban school districts in the Midwest to replace 380 fossil-fueled school buses with cleaner and quieter alternatives. This is a big step for clean air and healthy rides for kids.

GREAT LAKES

Reimagining the Potential for Michigan’s Retiring Coal Plants on the Great Lakes

ELPC’s Power Plants to Parklands project envisions shuttered coal plants as prime opportunities for clean energy, wildlife habitat, and dynamic public spaces. We're working with communities and utilities to reconnect the public and wildlife with these waterfront sites while utilizing their connections to the energy grid for new renewable development.

GREAT PLACES

ELPC Steps Up to Protect Midwest Wildlife Refuges

There are 53 National Wildlife Refuges in the heartland that shelter some of the nation’s most iconic species. ELPC is working to block destructive development and protect species at the Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge in north-central South Dakota and the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife & Fish Refuge in southeast Wisconsin.

CLEAN WATER

ELPC & Partners Appeal to Block Line 5 Tunnel Under Mackinac Straits

In a move that will put clean water at risk and lock in more reliance on oil, the Michigan Public Service Commission approved Enbridge’s request for a permit to build a pipeline tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac. In response, ELPC and the Michigan Climate Action Network filed an appeal, which will go to the state’s intermediate appellate court next.

ANNUAL REPORT

2023 Was a Great Year for ELPC

30 years ago, ELPC’s vision was called ambitious. Today, sustainability is conventional wisdom. We invite you to read our 2023 report where you are going to see some big wins on behalf of the Midwest’s environment. We couldn’t be prouder. 2024 promises to be even bigger.

Read ELPC's Annual Report

END OF YEAR GIVING UPDATE

More than 300 ELPC donors took action in December and unlocked our $50,000 Match! We’ve got lots to do, and we know you’re standing with us in all we do to the protect the place we call home. Thank you for your support!

P.S. If you missed the chance to donate, there’s no time like the present!

EVENTS

ELPC Thinks Webinar: Electric School Buses

Tuesday, January 23, 2024
1:00 PM Central Time

Save the Date: ELPC's 2024 Annual Gala

Friday, May 31, 2024
Navy Pier, Chicago

NEWS ROUNDUP

WTTW: Chicago Public Schools Receives $20M to Buy 50 Electric School Buses
Chicago Sun Times Op-Ed: For Conservation’s Sake, Transfer Joliet Training Area to Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Chicago Sun Times: 8 Top Illinois Conservationists are Leaving their Jobs. Others, Including Voters, Must Step Up for the Environment
WXPR: Forest Service Announces Plan to Amend All Forest Land Management Plans to Protect Old Growth Trees
Toledo Blade: Government Ordered to Pay Plaintiffs in Lake Erie Lawsuit $868,842 in Legal Fees and Expenses
Investigate Midwest: Bio-Cash: How a Cow-Powered, Controversial Fuel Ingests Wisconsin Clean Energy Dollars
Energy News Network: How a Koch-Linked Group Stalled a Bipartisan Ohio Energy Efficiency Bill at the Last Minute
Hyde Park Herald: Juanita Irizarry Leaves Friends of the Parks After 8 Years of Advocacy
The Detroit News: Two Groups Seek to Stop Line 5 Tunnel Project with Appeal to Michigan Court
Pantograph: Lawyers, Guns, and Money: A Look Back at 2023 in Illinois Politics, Government
ELPC Blog: Midwest Electric School Bus Update
Illinois Public Media: Should the U.S. Keep Old Trees Around to Store Carbon or Cut Them Down? It’s a Heated Debate
Indiana Post-Tribune: Work on Driveway at Maya Energy Site on Hold After City Intervenes
Illinois NPR: State Regulators Once Again Flex Muscle in Rejecting Utilities’ Grid Plans, Lessening Rate Hikes

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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