OUR WORK
NEWS & UPDATES
Fighting for a Clean Community through a Toxic Tour & Fireside Chat
For Metro-East residents, environmental justice is a daily fight against chronic flooding, sewage backups, and toxic air.
As Trump hacks away at environmental protections, Illinois strengthens them
A bill headed to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk will end Illinois’ automatic adoption of weakened federal environmental standards.
Why More Illinoisans Are Saying “No” To Data Centers
On June 5, the Illinois legislature shot down House Bill 5513, better known as the POWER Act, a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive bill of necessary regulations on the data centers that have been flooding into the state over the past decade, promising more jobs and increased revenue for local and state governments through property, sales and use taxes.
Gov. Pritzker slows down data center development
After years of championing data center development, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is pumping the brakes amid concerns over spiking energy bills, water use and pollution.
Lawmakers, stakeholders are ready for summer of data center negotiations
Lawmakers have a busy summer of negotiations ahead of them with pressure from both the governor’s office and their constituents to craft data center regulations that stakeholders and legislators can live with.
2026 Legislative Report
IEC’s state legislative team has published our 2026 Legislative Report detailing environmental wins and setbacks during this year’s legislative session.
SCORECARD & NEWSLETTERS
Legislative Scorecard
See how your state legislators voted on bills affecting the environment.
Newsletters
Read the most recent IEC Newsletter and view our archive going all the way back to the 1970s.
RESEARCH & REPORTS
Building a Clean Heat Pipeline
Underneath the cranes and the glittering new apartment towers, something especially interesting is happening with how Vancouver heats and cools its buildings. Vancouver is embracing a growing system of thermal energy networks (TENs) to decarbonize both new and existing buildings.
The overwhelming problem of plastic
From flax that can be used in clothing and cars to robotic skimmers to stricter laws, researchers, activists and volunteers fight an industry intent on making more plastic.
Massive Public Transit Win in Chicago Shows the Power of Grassroots Coalitions
The upcoming overhaul of the Chicago region’s transit system shows how potent organizing around public services can be.
Army Corps resumes work at Brandon Road Project as invasive carp encroach on Illinois River
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.
Five Silent Auction Items I’m Especially Excited About This Year
IEC’s Mundra Turtogtokh shares some of the exciting items generously donated for our 2026 Environmental Leadership Dinner silent auction.
