Legislation

Transit Teetering Over the Fiscal Cliff After Lawmakers Adjourn Without Fixing and Funding Transit

ILLINOIS — On Sunday, the Illinois General Assembly adjourned without addressing Northeast Illinois transit agencies’ $770 million budget deficit, leaving the millions of transit riders who use the system every day and the transit operators who run and maintain our trains and buses in the lurch. Jen Walling released the following statement on behalf of the

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Illinois’ Climate Goals and Consumers At Risk Amidst Legislature’s Inaction

Illinois General Assembly misses opportunity to deliver cleaner, lower-cost, more reliable energy amidst rising costs, increasingly extreme weather, and federal mismanagement. ILLINOIS — Today, just one day before energy bills are expected to spike across Illinois, the General Assembly failed to pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act, which would have taken critical

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As U.S. House Republicans Pass the Most Expensive Anti-Environment Bill in History, Illinoisans Call for State Action on Climate and Consumer Protections

ILLINOIS – Early Thursday morning, House Republicans passed a reconciliation bill that wipes out good-paying clean energy jobs and raises energy costs for families by gutting the historic progress made in the bipartisan Inflation Reduction Act. Hours earlier at the Illinois State Capitol on Wednesday, hundreds of community leaders, environmental advocates, faith leaders, business representatives, consumer

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Powering Progress: Richland Community College Now Training Up Illinois’ Clean Energy Workforce

CEJA Workforce Hub Celebrates 100% Enrollment Across Training Programs DECATUR, IL—Today, Richland Community College (RCC) and the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) hosted “Powering Progress: Richland Community College’s Clean Energy Careers in Action” at its Decatur campus. The event highlighted RCC’s Clean Energy Careers program, which provides training and certification for entry-level positions in solar, HVAC,

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Bills Phasing Out Single-Use Plastic Clear Key Legislative Hurdle

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Cornerstone legislation phasing out the use of certain types of single-use plastics advanced out of the Illinois State Senate Environment and Conservation Committee today, an unprecedented milestone for legislation of this kind in Illinois. SB1531, a bill phasing out single-use foam foodware sponsored by Sen. Laura Fine, and SB1872, a bill phasing

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2024 Environmental Scorecard

Here you will find IEC’s 2024 Environmental Scorecard for the Illinois General Assembly. Scores are based on the environmental impact of each legislator’s voting record over the last legislative session. Not only is IEC’s scorecard one of the most effective measurements of our movement’s growing environmental power, but it’s also a powerful accountability tool as

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2024 Environmental Legislative Update

Early Wednesday morning, days after its scheduled adjournment date of May 24, the Illinois General Assembly passed the state budget and concluded the Spring legislative session. Going into an election year with an expected budget deficit, we anticipated that it would be more challenging than usual to pass critical pieces of legislation this session. Despite

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2024 Environmental Legislative Update

Today is the scheduled adjournment day of the regular legislative session. However, as of this morning, it became clear that leading members of the House and Senate are planning for state budget-centered discussions to carry on this evening and into the weekend. We are also seeing an increase in internal caucus meetings, which are causing

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2024 Environmental Legislative Update

Both the House and the Senate were in and conducting business this week as we move closer to the final weeks of this year’s regular legislative session. Many bills were granted extended deadlines for advancing through the legislative process, and some important pieces of the Illinois Environmental Legislative Agenda continue to move through the legislative

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Hundreds Gather in Springfield to Advocate for Equitable Climate, Transportation, and Energy Legislation

Springfield, IL. – Hundreds of community leaders, environmental advocates, faith leaders, business representatives, consumer groups, students and state legislators rallied outside of the Illinois State Capitol Building today in support of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC) Platform, a slate of legislation that would double down on Illinois’ bold climate policy and secure a more

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