Illinois bet on solar to meet its climate goals. Trump has the industry in his crosshairs.

Illinois Environmental Council senior policy manager Cate Caldwell said the state has “long led” on environmental issues and that lawmakers should act in their shortened October legislative session.

“While this federal budget threatens to reverse that progress, Illinois can instead double down on its climate commitments and invest in real, bold climate solutions that modernize our grid, ensure energy-hungry data centers act as good neighbors, and deliver cost savings to hardworking families across the state,” she said in a statement last week.

Read the full story here.

Read More

The upcoming overhaul of the Chicago region’s transit system shows how potent organizing around public services can be.
More than a month after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers halted work on the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, part of a $1.15 billion project to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes, the agency announced last week it would resume construction.
On Aug. 11, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order calling for a pause on data center construction and expansion in the city of Chicago.