WCPT 820 Interview: Chew’s Views Jen Walling and David Shadburn
Listen to the full episode here.
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Climate Action
How does ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ impact energy sector?
The recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes significant changes to the way we create and pay for energy. The legislation rolls back investment in clean energy, aiming to return the focus to oil and natural gas. How might these moves impact the wallet of the average Illinoisan? The non-partisan think tank Energy Innovation found that in
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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
Illinois clean energy hit hard by Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ tax bill: ‘An incredibly damaging blow’
Among those who want to respond to the Trump bill with strong state action is Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council, which advocates for more than 100 organizations. Illinois environmentalists have been pushing for the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, which would expand energy efficiency in Illinois and encourage renewable energy
Analysis: Trump’s Big “Ugly” Bill
H.R. 1 drastically cuts key clean energy tax credits, chipping away at Illinois’ progress toward a clean energy economy and threatening to cut as many as 52,000 manufacturing and energy jobs in the state.
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How Trump’s megabill affects Illinois’ environment
What they’re saying: “Lowering families’ energy costs and making our air cleaner should be something we all agree on, and yet Trump and his cronies would rather gut clean energy and pollution reduction programs to fund tax breaks for billionaires,” Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council, said in a statement. Read the full
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Energy policy changes in “big, beautiful bill” will affect consumers, climate, experts say
“Really, really dramatic impacts with these cuts,” said Chelsea Biggs of the Illinois Environmental Council. In Illinois, the League of Conservation Voters is estimating that homeowners will pay $168 more in energy bills a year — with a 21% increase in commercial and industrial energy bills. But Biggs said this won’t just cost consumers. “These
Illinois environmental advocates aim to strengthen ties with lawmakers, increase outreach amid federal policy changes
CHAMPAIGN — Illinois environmental advocates are working to strengthen their connections with lawmakers and communities across the state while the legislature is in recess. On Saturday, June 28, progressive organizations gathered in Champaign for a convention hosted by Indivisible Illinois. The event allowed the groups to share their priorities for the rest of the year. Among the
Clean energy job training offers hope to hundreds: ‘It’s changed my life’
“This is one of the difficulties with having such nation-leading legislation,” said Francisco Lopez Zavala, an Illinois Environmental Council climate policy program associate. “There was no other state in the U.S. to really model off in the efforts Illinois is leading in, with providing these trainings focused on the clean energy trade at such a
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An Illinois bill seeking to supercharge battery storage failed. Now what?
Supporters hoped the legislation would accelerate the state’s clean energy transition, but it stalled amid opposition from unions, farmers, and fossil-fuel groups. “There were some pretty significant wrenches” thrown in the works in the final days of negotiations, said Hannah Flath, spokesperson for the Illinois Environmental Council, an advocacy group. “Some things we just couldn’t untangle.”
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Shine On: Illinois Hopes to Continue Solar Boom Despite Federal Headwinds
Renewable energy advocates point to a 2021 law and state dollars as reasons for optimism in a challenging time. Illinois Shines, the state’s incentive program for on-site and community solar, is funded through a dedicated line item on ratepayer electric bills, noted Samira Hanessian, director of energy policy for the Illinois Environmental Council, an umbrella
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Illinois legislators skip on several environmental bills
Some big environmental bills — dealing with transit, clean energy, plastics and more — fizzled last week in Springfield. Advocates say they’re ready to pick up the pieces. Why it matters: State environmental protections have grown in importance for climate advocates as the Trump administration rolls back regulations at the federal level. Biggest losses Public transit: The General Assembly’s failure
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‘Bring Your Own New Clean Energy’: a proposed fix for Illinois’ power grid shortcomings draws criticism from manufacturers
Illinois has a growing energy problem. There are a few reasons for why that is — coal and natural gas plants are closing, and regional grid operators are acting too slowly in connecting new wind and solar projects to the larger grid, but above all else, the state is using more energy than it ever
Activists rally for climate legislation in Springfield during annual Climate Action Lobby Day
Hannah Flath, the senior climate communications manager for the Illinois Environmental Council, said the day gave advocates a unique opportunity to speak directly to elected representatives. “Our lawmakers work for us,” Flath said. “And so lobby day gives constituents across the state the opportunity to voice their opinions with their lawmakers and urge them to
Summer electric price spike fuels policy tensions in Springfield
Price hike due to lack of energy supply comes alongside rocky transition to renewable power. Customers around Illinois will see significantly higher prices on their electric bills next month. “We’re trying to keep prices low while combating climate change,” Jen Walling, head of the Illinois Environmental Council, told Capitol News Illinois. The IEC has been
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Opinion: An urgent, united call to save — and strengthen — public transit
Public transit is the backbone of our economy, connecting millions of commuters, tourists and visitors to work, our world-class museums and arts institutions, school, health care and more every single day. Yet, across the country, cities are facing multimillion-dollar transit budget shortfalls — or a “transit fiscal cliff.” Chicago is no different. We’re at a
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In Illinois, an invisible boundary determines how dirty and costly your electricity is
The town of Ottawa lies in central Illinois 12 miles from a nuclear power plant and a wind turbine farm that stretches past the horizon. However, these facilities sit on the other side of an invisible boundary between two regional power grids. By mutual agreement among utilities that own the grids and power plants, that
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Clock counting down to secure state funding before drastic service cuts to CTA, Metra, Pace
A warning has been issued to anyone who takes public transportation in Chicago — with drastic service cuts looming, Illinois legislators only have until the end of the month to decide what to do and how to address it. Transit advocates are taking to the streets every week to warn riders. They say the cuts are as
The state of Illinois’ environment in 2025
The state of environmental policy is in flux. Fifty-five years after the first Earth Day, Americans are divided on environmental policy on a way that wasn’t always true. In states like Illinois, Democrats are pushing to transition to cleaner energy sources, though not fast enough for some activists. In Washington, under the second Trump administration,
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Federal funding freeze lifted for some Illinois clean energy projects
With the fight over a federal clean energy funding freeze entering its second month, two of the biggest prizes in Illinois are emissions-reduction grants totaling more than $570 million. Now, the state appears closer to claiming both of them. In Illinois, which aims for 100% clean energy by 2050, the effects of the clean energy
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