Reporting by Gabriel Castilho and Medill Illinois News Bureau for Capitol News Illinois:
PEORIA — As Illinois officials remain strongly committed to closing coal-fired power plants, federal policies under the Trump administration are creating uncertainty, spurring legal action and a push by some to keep the plants open.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump and Lee Zeldin, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, announced the repeal of what is known as the “endangerment finding,” which provides the backbone for federal government environmental regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. The move means the federal EPA will no longer regulate dangerous emissions from sources like cars, trucks and power plants.
Environmental organizations now fear these policy shifts could change the calculus for plant operators and potentially slow planned closings. According to the National Institutes of Health, coal burning plants are a major source of air pollution, emitting toxins like sulfur dioxide, black carbon and metals into the air.
Cate Caldwell, senior policy manager at the Illinois Environmental Council, said that while the state’s Clean and Equitable Jobs Act puts the state on a strong path to limiting pollution — the act calls for closing the plants by 2030 — it can’t provide enough incentives for clean energy without support from federal action. She said the ruling could create temporary economic incentives for the continued operation of coal-powered plants.
“CEJA is a strong policy foundation for Illinois, but it works best when federal policy supports, rather than diminishes, state climate progress,” Caldwell said. “The big picture is this: federal policy and state-level policy can enhance one another and deliver incredible progress when working in tandem.”
Illinois has joined a coalition of 24 states in suing the EPA over its decision to renounce its fight against climate change.