ELPC gathered data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Levee Database and found many levees at high or moderate risk of breaching. Some levees that were damaged during the heavy flooding this spring along the Upper Mississippi River have yet to be repaired. Scientists have already recorded about a 9% increase in annual precipitation over the past few decades and anticipate heavy rain events to increase Midwestern flooding risk as global temperatures rise. This report highlights the need for decision makers to take climate resilience into account for long-term planning, to prioritize which levees are repaired given limited federal and state funds, and to shift toward green infrastructure solutions. Read the report here and see this Chicago Tribune article on the impact of this issue in Southern Illinois.

ELPC found over 300 Michigan companies engaged in the clean energy business supply chain this year, from small towns to big cities, Marquette to Muskegon, Hemlock to Holland. ELPC’s new report provides an update to the previous 2015 Michigan Supply Chain Report, with a directory of solar energy and wind power companies, a set of targeted policy recommendations, and company profiles. In a Crain’s Detroit Op-Ed, Howard Learner said, “Smart policies make a difference. To keep growing Michigan jobs and businesses in the renewable energy supply chain, Michigan should keep advancing supportive policies to help drive the market.” Check out the map of state-wide businesses and read the full report here.
 

In the fight for clean air and water, ELPC is in it for the long haul. After years of legal work, we can now definitively say that polluting days are numbered for the old Edwards coal plant in Peoria, IL. This month, U.S. District Court Judge Billy McDade (Central District of IL) approved a settlement in ELPC’s longstanding Clean Air Act enforcement litigation against Vistra/Dynegy. The Edwards coal plant will be retired in 2022, and the settlement also provides substantial funding for employee job retraining, environmental remediation, and public health projects. Howard Learner said, “The people of Peoria and the surrounding region are the winners today. They will gain cleaner air and public health once this highly polluting coal plant is retired in 2022. ELPC is proud of our legal work as outside counsel for the Sierra Club and the RHA.” Additionally, ELPC advocacy is helping lead to the shutdown of four other Vistra coal plants in Central/Southern Illinois by December 31^st. All combined, these efforts will mean about 2,500 MW of coal plant shutdowns in Illinois (about 25% of the overall MW) and thousands of tons of carbon taken out of the atmosphere each year. See additional media coverage here. 

Thank you for making this year’s Giving Tuesday ELPC’s most successful ever. We raised almost $30,000 in one day! We know there’s a lot of work to do in 2020, and ELPC is stepping up with climate change solutions and fighting to protect the Midwest environment. If you missed out on Giving Tuesday it’s not too late to get your donation matched dollar-for-dollar. Patagonia is matching individual gifts to ELPC up to $10,000 each. Please donate here and share with your friends who care about the environment.