ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL EDUCATION FUND

Illinois has a unique electricity generation mix with nuclear, coal-fired, natural gas and renewable sources of energy all playing a role. Illinois is served by two electrical grids, one of which spans the northern portion of the state, and a second grid that serves much of the Mid-continent region. Because Illinois generates much more than it consumes, the state is an exporter of electricity. Illinois is also a key energy hub for the nation, with over a dozen interstate natural gas pipelines, two natural gas market centers, several petroleum and petroleum product pipelines, and an oil port.

Illinois’s energy future will be shaped by the decisions we make today in regards to energy efficiency, renewable energy, fossil fuels, and transportation.
Illinois should take major steps to reduce its carbon pollution, including ensuring there are enforceable laws and measurable results.

Illinois’ policy should strive to provide an energy system that is just, democratic, equitable, and composed of genuinely clean energy, based on conservation and not endless consumption.
State-wide policies should put forward energy solutions that are not ecologically or socially harmful, specifically to the communities who have borne the burden of pollution for decades. In addition, policies that support small-scale solar and other renewable energy in the most vulnerable communities will help create local jobs and ensure investments in low-income neighborhoods that need it the most.

IEC believes that Illinois should have a permanent, dedicated source of land protection and restoration/stewardship funds, the IDNR should be fully funded, local governments should be able to acquire and protect opens spaces, indigenous species should be protected, and that outdoor recreation should be better supported.

Open space programs should be fully funded

IDNR should protect Illinois natural resources and have appropriate resources to meet those goals

Maximize available resources to purchase and protect open spaces

Illinois should also encourage the ability of nonprofit conservation organizations to purchase and protect natural lands that further the goals of the Illinois Wildlife Action Plan.

Increase funding and support for outdoor recreation

There should be increased funding and support for trail planning, including regional trail connections.

The Illinois Environmental Council envisions an Illinois with zero waste, where reduction and reuse are the state’s disposal goals, where curbside and commercial recycling are ubiquitous, where composting is accessible to the public, where producers have the responsibility for the entire life cycle of their products, and where disposal infrastructure is improved. To accomplish this, we suggest that the state pursue the following goals:

Illinois should create a plan and set goals for diversion through statewide planning.

Address permitting and financial barriers to composting programs.

Illinois should provide for the reuse, recycling, and safe disposal to all state facilities by requiring a minimum of 10% green materials in its purchasing decisions.

Education and outreach funding should be increased and these programs should be expanded, coordinated, and regularly assessed for effectiveness.

Barriers to safe disposal of household hazardous waste should also be removed

Illinois should establish strong requirements for Extended Producer Responsibility.

Illinois should make grant funding available to support businesses that are working to reduce material waste and reuse or recycle materials.

Businesses that are working to reduce their material waste and reuse or recycle materials should be supported by Illinois through market and job development.

The unintended social, environmental, and economic consequences of rapid population growth, economic growth, and consumption of our natural resources raises sustainability concerns, which is a simple principle: everything we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. When we think about sustainability, we consider how to create and maintain conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, and how to ensure the social, economic, and environmental health of present and future generations. Sustainability takes into account advances in science and technology to protect human health and the environment, and promotes innovative green business practices.