Max Touchette, Author at Illinois Environmental Council

Carbon capture technology draws the attention of lawmakers, environmental advocates

April 25, 2023

As Illinois considers ways to achieve its goal of relying entirely on clean energy by 2050, one technology that has courted controversy is carbon capture. Carbon capture is a method whereby carbon dioxide, a common greenhouse gas, is placed in long-term storage, usually by injection into wells in geologic formations thousands of feet underground. These […]

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Activists Rally at Illinois Capitol, Urging Lawmakers to Pass 9 Climate and Environmental Bills

April 21, 2023

Hundreds of environmental activists rallied at the Illinois State Capitol, urging legislators to support bills that advance environmental justice and protection and that address climate change. Advocates also delivered a letter to the governor’s office demanding tighter vehicle emissions rules. Dany Robles, climate policy director at the Illinois Environmental Council, said he’s noticed more environmental

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Environmentalists advocate slate of bills: What to know

April 19, 2023

Ahead of Earth Day, environmentalists rallied at the state Capitol to push lawmakers to act on bills they say will make Illinois more green. The crowd of a few hundred met outside the Lincoln statue before heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s capitol office to deliver a letter requesting his signature on the legislation if it

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Ban on Plastic Foam To-Go Containers and Utensils Passes Illinois House

March 22, 2023

More than 20 million pounds of plastic debris enter the Great Lakes every year, half of which winds up in Lake Michigan. To cut off at least a portion of that flow at its source, legislators in Illinois are moving toward a ban on plastic foam cups, containers and utensils. On Tuesday, the Illinois House of Representatives

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A federal bill with bipartisan support could bring 20x more money to Illinois conservation efforts

December 13, 2022

That manatees still swim along Florida’s coast, grizzly bears still roam the west and bald eagles still fly in North American skies is due, in large part, to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 — once described by the Supreme Court as “the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species enacted by any nation.”

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Jen Walling: Pritzker should extend national climate leadership to nature-based solutions

December 12, 2022

Illinois is beautiful. Anyone who argues otherwise hasn’t experienced Shawnee’s Garden of the Gods at sunset, the rolling hills near the Apple River, the Mississippi River viewed from the top of the bluffs, waterfalls from Waterfall Glen in the suburbs to Ferne Clyffe in Shawnee, or Lake Michigan at sunrise. In his next term, Gov.

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Water Commissioner Du Buclet says water is the ‘new gold’

October 5, 2022

Inspired by her parents’ work ethic and commitment to community and family, Cook County Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Commissioner (MWRD) Kim Du Buclet is on a mission to protect the county’s fresh water systems, save monarch butterflies and fight the effects of climate change. Though she has no direct role in the delivery

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California Poised to Phase Out Sale of New Gas-Powered Cars by 2035

August 25, 2022

California plans to require all new cars, trucks and SUVs to run on electricity or hydrogen by 2035 under a policy approved Thursday by regulators that seeks a dramatic cut in carbon emissions and an eventual end to gasoline-powered vehicles. The decision by the California Air Resources Board came two years after Gov. Gavin Newsom

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How the Inflation Reduction Act can help electrify your home

August 25, 2022

With the recent signing of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act passed last year in Illinois, residents have access to more incentives to upgrade their homes to make them more energy efficient. Reset speaks with policy experts to understand how these incentives will be implemented and who will have access to

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Single-use plastic banned from Illinois state parks

June 16, 2022

Gov. J.B. Pritzker quietly signed a bill last week banning single-use plastic in hundreds of state parks and natural areas. Most single-use plastic is neither biodegradable nor recyclable. When offered in state parks, it often creates piles of trash in places that are supposed to be protected. Starting in 2023, the state has to offer either compostable or

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Max Touchette