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Rising Temperatures and Rising Costs: Heat Deaths as a Consequence of Climate Change and The Affordability Crisis
This year’s extraordinary heat made July 2026 Cook County’s deadliest month for heat deaths in a decade. Regardless of where you live, heat waves have become the most lethal weather phenomenon in the world, killing an average of 12,000 people every year. Like many other environmental injustices, heat deaths do not impact everyone equally.
Illinois law is the first in the Great Lakes region to designate industrial plastic pellets as pollution
Illinois is requiring polluters to begin reporting spills of industrial plastic pellets known as nurdles, a growing source of contamination in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds.
How to regulate data centers in Illinois at the center of latest proposal
Even as a political backlash against data centers mushrooms across the U.S., a broad consensus on how to regulate them is emerging in Springfield, according to key corporate, labor and environmental lobbyists.
New Report: State Legislators Scored on Environmental Voting Record
Illinois Environmental Council Releases Annual Scorecard (SPRINGFIELD, IL)—The Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) released its 2026 Legislative Environmental Scorecard today. The scorecard, which is released annually,
2026 Environmental Scorecard
IEC’s state legislative team has published our 2026 Environmental Scorecard evaluating the performance of every Illinois state legislator based on their environmental voting record.
From Warning to Reality: One Year After the “Big Ugly Bill”
One year ago, the Illinois Environmental Council warned that H.R.1, dubbed the “Big Ugly Bill,” would impact Illinois’ clean energy economy, weaken environmental protections, and make it harder for families and communities to thrive. One year later, we revisited those projections by reviewing updated economic analyses, federal implementation, and conversations with our partners across Illinois to understand what has changed and what challenges remain.
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See how your state legislators voted on bills affecting the environment.
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RESEARCH & REPORTS
Rising Temperatures and Rising Costs: Heat Deaths as a Consequence of Climate Change and The Affordability Crisis
This year’s extraordinary heat made July 2026 Cook County’s deadliest month for heat deaths in a decade. Regardless of where you live, heat waves have become the most lethal weather phenomenon in the world, killing an average of 12,000 people every year. Like many other environmental injustices, heat deaths do not impact everyone equally.
Illinois law is the first in the Great Lakes region to designate industrial plastic pellets as pollution
Illinois is requiring polluters to begin reporting spills of industrial plastic pellets known as nurdles, a growing source of contamination in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds.
How to regulate data centers in Illinois at the center of latest proposal
Even as a political backlash against data centers mushrooms across the U.S., a broad consensus on how to regulate them is emerging in Springfield, according to key corporate, labor and environmental lobbyists.
New Report: State Legislators Scored on Environmental Voting Record
Illinois Environmental Council Releases Annual Scorecard (SPRINGFIELD, IL)—The Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) released its 2026 Legislative Environmental Scorecard today. The scorecard, which is released annually,
2026 Environmental Scorecard
IEC’s state legislative team has published our 2026 Environmental Scorecard evaluating the performance of every Illinois state legislator based on their environmental voting record.
From Warning to Reality: One Year After the “Big Ugly Bill”
One year ago, the Illinois Environmental Council warned that H.R.1, dubbed the “Big Ugly Bill,” would impact Illinois’ clean energy economy, weaken environmental protections, and make it harder for families and communities to thrive. One year later, we revisited those projections by reviewing updated economic analyses, federal implementation, and conversations with our partners across Illinois to understand what has changed and what challenges remain.