The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act: What it Means for You, Illinois and Our Planet
Learn what our 100% clean energy future will look like with the implementation of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act!
September 24, 2021
State Reports and Analysis
Dive Into Our Work
IEC regularly produces reports designed to help our affiliates, individual supporters and decision makers better understand the issues facing our environment in Illinois.
Analysis: Mayor’s 2022 Budget Address
Mayor Lightfoot unveiled her 2022 budget proposal. Check it out to see how and which environmental priorities will be funded next year.
September 22, 2021
2021 IEC Legislative Report
IEC is pleased to release our 2021 Legislative Report. We are proud to report that we advanced a broad and ambitious agenda, defeated potentially damaging legislation and secured important appropriations in the state budget.
July 28, 2021
FAQs: Managed Native Gardens Registry
Learn more about Chicago’s proposed Managed Native Gardens Registry Ordinance with this FAQ document!
March 3, 2021
2020 LCV National Environmental Scorecard
The Illinois Environmental Council is the state affiliate of the League of Conservation Voters. Each year, LCV releases their National Environmental Scorecard. The Scorecard is the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of every member of Congress. View the scorecard below, en Español, or at scorecard.lcv.org.
February 18, 2021
Analysis: Governor’s 2022 Budget Address
Gov. JB Pritzker unveiled his 2022 budget proposal. Check it out to see how and which environmental priorities will be funded next year.
February 17, 2021
Gov. Pritzker’s Mid-term
IEC’s environmental analysis of Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration midway through his first term.
February 16, 2021
Top Picks in the Biden Admin: What Enviros Need to Know
Get the nuts and bolts of who and what environmentalists need to know about the new Biden-Harris administration appointees.
January 21, 2021
2020 Post-election Environmental Analysis
The 2020 election was absolutely critical for gaining ground on a couple key environmental priorities: combating climate change, reducing pollution and protecting vulnerable habitats. It was certainly one of the most important elections in our lifetime and a true test of our commitment to our enduring call to form a more perfect union. Here you will find practical analysis of the election results and power dynamics impacting our environmental work at the state-level. A Biden Presidency The election of Joe Biden as 46th President of the United States is a welcome relief from the consistent rollbacks of environmental regulations at the federal level– over 100 in the last 4 years. The new administration will undoubtedly be advancing executive actions to act on climate, protect our drinking water, conserve our natural resources, invest in sustainable infrastructure and provide relief for those who need it most. Even with a new President, the
November 20, 2020
LCV 2019 National Environmental Scorecard
The Illinois Environmental Council is the state affiliate of the League of Conservation Voters. Each year, LCV releases their National Environmental Scorecard. The Scorecard is the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of every member of Congress. View the scorecard below or download here, in Spanish here, or at scorecard.lcv.org.
March 12, 2020
Analysis: Governor’s 2021 Budget Address
Initial analysis of the governor’s 2021 budget proposal and it’s impact on environmental priorities.
February 19, 2020
Governor Pritzker’s First Year
Highlighting the environmental successes and some notable missed opportunities during Governor Pritzker’s First Year
January 15, 2020
FY2020 Budget, Capital Plan and the Environment
The General Assembly has passed a Fiscal Year 2020 budget, as well as a $40 billion capital budget. As always, we’re here to break it all down and fill you in on the most important budget items impacting the environment. Overall, this is an exciting opportunity for environmental projects and clean jobs throughout Illinois. Highlights of the budget and capital plan include: New capital funding for solar, wind and energy efficiency, as well as low-income electric vehicle infrastructure. Full appropriation for the Illinois Solar for All program in 2019 and 2020. New funding for land acquisition and stewardship. A new program to incentivize cover crops, funding for Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and funding for the conservation reserve enhancement program. Funding for Brandon Road and nearly a third of a billion dollars in loans and grants for various water infrastructure loan projects. Unfortunately, fees were increased for electric vehicles starting
June 5, 2019
2019 IEC Legislative Report
IEC is pleased to release our 2019 Legislative Report. We are proud to report that we advanced a broad and ambitious agenda, defeated potentially damaging legislation and secured important appropriations in the state budget.
June 2, 2019
Governor Pritzker’s First 100 Days
The Governor of Illinois has significant influence over environmental programs and policy, as well as if, and how, the state leads on these issues. This being the case, IEC welcomed the election of Governor Pritzker, whose campaign promised 100% renewable energy, clean air protections and recognized the importance of our water resources. Now that we are 100 days into his first term, IEC would like to reflect on the progress Gov. Pritzker has made on our community’s priorities. The Governor’s top accomplishments: Committing Illinois to the U.S. Climate Alliance as one of his first acts in office. Selecting leaders from environmental organizations to his transition teams. Appointing strong, qualified leaders at state agencies. Issuing a seal order on Sterigenics, a Willowbrook facility linked to high emissions of a known carcinogen. Generally supporting the Brandon Road project to keep Asian carp out of Lake Michigan. Proposing a balanced budget that does
April 24, 2019
FY20 Budget and the Environment
Governor Pritzker recently introduced his FY20 Budget Proposal in an address to the General Assembly. IEC is pleased that this budget reflects many of our community’s priorities, and will help advance clean energy, preserve natural resources, and protect our air and water. Over the past 4 years, severe budget cuts to agencies and environmental programs resulted in significant staffing reductions and drastically fewer enforcement actions. Even when funds were appropriated, in some cases they were never released to the programs/agencies for which they were intended. The budget proposed today changes that by prioritizing funding for environmental programs. For instance, the budget includes a proposal for a statewide 5-cent plastic bag fee that is estimated to raise $19-33 million annually while reducing plastic bag use. IEC will advocate that funding raised from a plastic bag fee be put towards local-level environmental programs and reducing plastic bag use. Our initial review of the FY20 budget indicates that
February 21, 2019
Chicago Environmental Mayor Report
IEC is pleased to release our 2019 Chicago Environmental Mayor Report, which includes policy recommendations for improving the City’s environment and livability. The document represents the work of experts from 22 IEC affiliate organizations. Read the document below or click here to download it.
February 19, 2019
Powering Illinois’ Future
Governor Pritzker recently released reports from each of his administration’s 11 transition committees. Included in those reports is that of the Powering Illinois’ Future Committee, which IEC’s Executive Director Jen Walling co-chaired. You can read that committee’s entire report here: Click here to view the report if the document fails to load.
February 8, 2019
IEC Releases the 2018 Environmental Executive Report
Report includes backgrounds on key environmental issue areas and specific recommendations for how the Governor can protect the environment in their role. Click here if the form fails to load.
October 4, 2018
Natural Resources and Conservation in the Illinois Budget
Breaking a long trend of cuts and unspent appropriations, natural resources finally received improved funding in the FY19 Illinois budget and capital budget. One especially heartening development will see the operating budget for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources increase 6.7% compared to FY18. A major highlight of the capital plan is the dedication of $37 million towards the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which is a federal matching program that awards funding to farmers to enter important acres into conservation. Illinois has not used this program since 2006. Depending on the match rate in the still-pending Farm Bill, Illinois could see up to $160 million in federal match funding from our $37 million contribution. This popular program will provide new habitat, filter nutrient pollution through buffers to rivers and streams, and protect Illinois’ soil health. And while it will take time to build this program back up, it is a
June 13, 2018