5 Ways to Plug In To the Legislative Session
The legislative session has started! This guide breaks down how you can advocate for stronger environmental protection in Illinois.
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conservation
Illinois’ 2026 Environmental Legislative Agenda
Explore the environmental movement’s legislative agenda, including all of the most important environmental bills this session!
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The Environmental Impacts of the Illinois Budget (FY2027)
In his 2026 State of the State and Budget address, Governor JB Pritzker unveiled his administration’s proposed state budget for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) of $56 billion.
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Wild Ones: Building Power at Wild Things
Sergio Vargas represented IEC at the Wild Things Conference in Southern Illinois. He’s energized and optimistic about the state of conservation, knowing we have such a powerful community willing to join the fight.
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What Illinois Animal are You?
Illinois is home to hundreds of iconic animals. Who are you? Find your birth month to discover more about your critter.
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Illinois Wetlands Are At Risk As Federal Protections Vanish. Will State Move To Protect Them?
The Environmental Council’s conservation director Lindsay Keeney said despite opposition from the Farm Bureau, some Illinois farmers have expressed support for protections.
“Nature-based solutions – cheap, easily investible solutions, like wetlands – can store floodwater and maintain their soil health and keep their fields from flooding,”
Illinois Rewilding Law, first in US, a step toward state wetland protection
Lindsay Keeney, conservation director at the Illinois Environmental Council, explained that restoring native ecosystems helps Illinois weather more extreme and frequent flood events.
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IEC Legislator Tours 2025
Empowering environmental champions in Illinois’ General Assembly requires building strong relationships with our legislators. These educational tours are a critical piece of that work.
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Illinois lawmakers urged to ‘step up’ and ‘fight like hell’ as EPA moves to cut wetlands protections
After the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday it is redefining the scope of the nation’s bedrock clean water law to limit the wetlands it protects from pollution and destruction, environmental groups are urging Illinois legislators to establish safeguards. The state has already lost 90% of its original wetlands to urban development and agriculture. The Trump administration’s action builds
Rollback of federal clean-water rules leaves most Illinois wetlands unprotected | ChicagoLIVE
Illinois Environmental Council policy manager Cate Caldwell explains how the rollback weakens the Clean Water Act and why advocates are pushing for new state-level protections. A live look at what happened today, what’s happening now, and what’s coming tonight—no script, just real news. Watch the full video
Keep Your Eyes Open for Invasive Species This Halloween
Ghosts, Ghouls…..and Invasive Species? Learn about some of the spookiest invasive species in Illinois.
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Analysis: Understand the Federal Government Shutdown and Its Impact on Illinois
Congress failed to meet its October 1 deadline to pass a funding bill, triggering a government shutdown that has suspended key environmental programs, furloughed government employees, closed national parks, and stopped non-essential services.
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2025 Environmental Scorecard
IEC’s state legislative team has published our 2025 Environmental Scorecard evaluating the performance of every Illinois state legislator based on their environmental voting record.
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2025 Chicago City Council Scorecard
IEC’s city programs team has published our 2025 Chicago City Council Environmental Scorecard evaluating the performance of alderpersons based on their environmental voting record.
2025 Chicago City Council Scorecard Read More »
Is artificial intelligence guzzling your drinking water?
Illinois is home to more than 220 data centers, but each one needs a lot of water to operate and cool its systems. Illinois has been a leader in the data center boom, but those centers use up tons of water from sources local communities rely on for drinking water. Advocate groups that work on
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Illinois is making ‘rewilding’ an official conservation strategy
A new law in Illinois formalizes efforts to reintroduce native keystone species like bison and beavers in the state, which advocates say will help other species recover. Next year, “rewilding” will officially be a part of the conservation approach in Illinois. A new state law explicitly includes the concept as part of the Illinois Department
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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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As Data Centers Proliferate Across Illinois, Communities Grapple with How to Supply the Necessary Water
Computing facilities require lots of water to operate, putting the burden of allocating resources on municipalities. “We are concerned about the planning of the explosion of data centers, and if these far-out suburbs are actually accounting for that,” said Iyana Simba, city government affairs director for the Illinois Environmental Council. “How much of that was
2025 Legislative Report
IEC’s state legislative team has published our 2025 Legislative Report detailing environmental wins and setbacks during this year’s legislative session.
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Wrapping Up the 2025 Illinois Legislative Session
Our team has been on the ground at the Capitol for the last five months, all the way up until the final moments this evening. And you’ve been right there with us.
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