Illinois lawmakers headed back to Springfield for renewable energy bill

“‘Energy legislation is incredibly complicated,’ said Deputy Director of the Illinois Environmental Council Colleen Smith. ‘Unfortunately, I think we just ran out of time.’

With so many jobs and the climate itself on the line, lawmakers are headed back to Springfield next week to finally get a bill passed.”

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Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Tuesday directing city departments to intensify scrutiny of new data centers in Chicago — a politically potent move that doesn’t unilaterally impose new limits on the fast-growing industry, but could slow its growth.
Every year, the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) issues a voting scorecard that grades members of the Illinois General Assembly on how they voted for bills affecting the environment.
Richard Chew is joined by Dany Robles, senior legislative director at the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC); he talks about IEC's 2026 Legislative Environmental Scorecard.