Last month, ELPC joined ten public interest groups challenging the Trump Administration’s illegal extension of the J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan. Consumers Energy announced the plant’s retirement in 2021 after a thorough review process that confirmed it was not necessary for grid reliability. ELPC was working with the utility and local communities on site redevelopment plans including park space and renewable energy through our Powerplants to Parklands initiative. Instead, keeping the plant online for even 90 days is a missed opportunity for the community and could cost close to $100 million. As the federal order includes no funding, those costs may be passed on to Midwest consumers.
To prevent this unjust tax on Midwest families, ELPC also led a group of 16 public interest groups in asking the federal government to find an alternative way to fund its coal-first agenda. As ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner said, “Families and businesses in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and other Midwest states should not be forced to pay higher electricity bills for a coal plant that is not needed to operate and is not otherwise economic.” |
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From the U.P. to the tip of the mitten, ELPC is working to protect Michigan’s special places and diverse wildlife. This month we had a great win to protect the Kirtland’s warbler, a rare bird that breeds only in the Great Lakes region. We also filed an objection to protect the Trap Hills in Ottawa National Forest from selection-cut and clear-cut logging. |
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ELPC joined 11 health and environmental groups in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for unlawful exemptions allowing 68 coal plants to postpone complying with the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). The Midwest will foot the bill for this - hitting hardest in Illinois and North Dakota, home to nine of the thirteen Midwest coal plants that received exemptions. |
ELPC, residents, and advocates in East Chicago submitted a petition calling on the U.S. EPA to reject Indiana’s recent air permit for a major polluter. The permit would let the Cleveland Cliffs Indiana Harbor steel mills off the hook for basic monitoring, testing, and recordkeeping needed to assure compliance with Clean Air Act requirements. |
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Across the Great Lakes, beach closures due to bacterial contamination are all too common. In 2024, 256 Great Lakes beaches across Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were either closed or issued contamination advisories due to E. coli contamination, totaling 2988 days. Fortunately, ELPC is fighting for clean water everywhere. Read our blog for resources to check the water quality at your local beach. |
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We're all in to protect the Midwest 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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ELPC
35 E Wacker Dr 1600
Chicago, IL 60601
United States |
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