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CPLC: 2023 highlights

Karen Long MacLeod Campaign Updates, Community News, Events, News Clips , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
  • Eddie Flores on camera.
    Eddie Flores appears in the “No Climate. No Equity. No Deal.” CEJA documentary.
  • Dulce Ortiz appears in a segment about smog on WTTW’s “Latino Voices.”
  • Waukegan celebrates PACE’s new electric bus fleet.
  • CPLC spring interns: Andres Fuentes Teba, Maurico Calderon, Maite Olivera.
  • Major win: EPA issues a draft rule covering hundreds of previously excluded older coal ash sites.
  • Eddie Flores joins Earthjustice for EtO advocacy day in the nation’s capital..
  • CPLC and LVEJO attend US EPA region 5 coal ash meeting in Waukegan.
  • CPLC summer interns: Sophia Cruz, Ranni Torrez, Selene Cruz, Lillian Kooyenga.
  • CPLC leaders and Eliana Bernat celebrate at the Brushwood-Smith Symposium gala.

Waukegan has always been a place of industry and a home for immigrants. Sadly, many industries have placed profits over people, abandoned the community when profits shrank, and left a deadly legacy of toxic pollution. This is the very definition of environmental injustice. 

Clean Power Lake County (CPLC) exists because environmental injustice exists in our community. CPLC exists to change this reality! And as our 2023 milestones show, change is happening.

January

January 31: State Rep. Rita Mayfield and 9 other state representatives introduced legislation (House Bill 1608) requiring that all coal ash be removed from sites bordering Lake Michigan. Toxic waste from the Waukegan Generating Station on the lakefront has contaminated groundwater for more than 10 years.

February

February 3: The Biden administration said it will consider closing a loophole that exempts over half a billion tons of toxic coal ash from federal oversight. The announcement came after CPLC and other public interest groups—represented by Earthjustice—agreed to settle a suit with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  

February 6: CPLC issued a statement opposing the proposed sale of 52 acres of public Lake County Forest Preserves land to the Waukegan Port District, which would allow for construction of a new 7,000-foot runway at Waukegan National Airport. 

March 

March 7: CPLC co-chair Eddie Flores co-hosted a virtual watch party for “No Climate. No Equity. No Deal.” during the One Earth Film Festival. The film follows the grassroots movements that led to the passage of Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.  

March 11: In a panel discussion on “Chicago Tonight-Latino Voices,” CPLC co-chair Dulce Ortiz said Cook County’s extreme smog pollution contributes to air quality problems in Lake County. These disproportionately impact Latino communities.

March 15: WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight” highlighted the scourge of coal ash pollution at the Waukegan coal plant. State Rep. Rita Mayfield and CPLC’s Dulce Ortiz continue to lead the fight for full clean-up of the Waukegan lakefront. 

March 20: Congressman Brad Schneider and Mayor Ann Taylor celebrated federal funding for a fleet of new electric PACE buses in Waukegan. The transit agency made the North Division in Waukegan its first Zero Emission Facility in response to a strong campaign led by CPLC. 

April

April 11: The EPA announced two actions to update regulations of carcinogenic emissions from ethylene oxide (EtO) commercial sterilization facilities: 1) a proposed rule requiring sterilizer facilities to reduce emissions by installing control technology; and 2) a proposed interim registration review decision based on findings that registered uses of EtO present up to a 1 in 10 lifetime cancer risk for workers inside sterilization facilities.

April 15: Our spring 2023 interns led CPLC’s first post-pandemic community outreach: a table at the Green Living Fair at College of Lake County’s Grayslake campus. Andres Fuentes Teba, Maurico Calderon, and Maite Olivera—all students at Lake Forest College—collected petitions opposing the Waukegan airport expansion and answered questions about Illinois’ pending coal ash bill.  

April 19: CPLC’s Celeste Flores represented vulnerable environmental justice communities in northeast Illinois during Environmental Lobby Day rally in Springfield.  

May

May 17: In a major win for Waukegan and other communities near coal plants, the EPA issued a draft rule to extend federal monitoring, closure, and cleanup requirements to hundreds of previously excluded older coal ash landfills, legacy ponds, and fill sites.

June

June 13: CPLC co-chair Eddie Flores and members of other environmental groups joined Earthjustice in the nation’s capital to advocate for stronger protections against ethylene oxide emissions.  

June 23: Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods launched a new report, Health, Equity, and Nature: A Changing Climate in Lake County, Illinois, identifying Waukegan as the most overburdened community in the area. 

June 27: During the EPA Region 5 Coal Ash Community Hearing in Waukegan, activists from CPLC, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, and Sierra Club called on EPA to hold NRG Energy accountable for coal ash removal and to enforce a timeline for the cleanup. 

June 28: During the only public EPA coal ash hearing held in the country, CPLC members and interns urged EPA to finalize its proposed coal ash rule and close the remaining loopholes that allow coal ash pollution to continue.  

July

July 21: Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced $38 million for clean energy workforce hubs. The network of 13 community-based hubs—including one in Waukegan—will offer training, job placement services, barrier reduction support and more. Hubs represent the largest training component of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA).

August 

August 12: CPLC’s summer interns capped off their experience with presentations outlining ways industries affect our community’s residents, air, water, land, and health. The public program was held in the Eleanor Murkey Community Center at the College of Lake County’s Lakeshore campus.

August 24: A U.S. District Court signed a consent decree ordering the EPA to finalize much-needed updates to ethylene oxide regulations by March 1, 2024. This comes after years of advocacy by communities across the country, including a lawsuit filed by Earthjustice on behalf of CPLC and other environmental and justice organizations.

September

September 29: During its Smith Nature Symposium Awards Dinner, Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods introduced CPLC as one of its newest community partners.

October

October 19: In one of three city council meetings about relaxing Waukegan’s Tree Preservation and Landscape Ordinance, CPLC’s Karen Long MacLeod reminded alderpersons that trees are vital for Waukegan: They minimize stormwater runoff, erosion, and flood risks; reduce heating and cooling costs for businesses and residences alike; and filter harmful dust and pollutants from the air we breathe.

November 

November 6: CPLC’s Rev. Eileen Shanley-Roberts led about 20 environmental studies students from Lake Forest College on a “toxic tour” of Waukegan’s environmental justice sites. 

December      

December 11: The Waukegan City Council voted to table further discussion of proposed changes to the Tree Preservation and Landscaping ordinance until the Unified Development Ordinance—which will combine tree preservation and landscape, zoning, subdivision, and sign codes into one comprehensive law—is available for review in the spring. 

Priorities for 2024

We are excited about new opportunities to advance climate justice in Waukegan. We will:

  • Continue pursuing a just transition for the Waukegan coal plant. This means ensuring that all coal ash is removed from the Waukegan Generating Station site. It should not be allowed to contaminate Lake Michigan, the source of drinking water for 6 million people in four states.
  • Working to ensure workforce training programs under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) increase access for marginalized communities and include community-driven approaches that lead to jobs, capital to complete projects, and more.
  • Supporting federal action to protect our community from emissions of ethylene oxide and other harmful chemicals.

If you’d like to support CPLC’s work, please make a gift today.

“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.” — Kahlil Gibran

CPLC: 2022 highlights

Karen Long MacLeod Campaign Updates, Community News, Events, News Clips , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
  • The power plant on Waukegan’s lakefront stops burning coal in June 2022! [Photo: Karen Long MacLeod/CPLC]
  • Dulce Ortiz in video clip
    CPLC co-chair Dulce Ortiz worries about toxic coal ash at the Waukegan lakefront.
  • Dulce Ortiz at podium in Waukegan City Hall
    CPLC co-chair Dulce Ortiz demands toxic coal ash be removed from the lakefront ASAP. [Photo: Rep. Rita Mayfield]
  • CPLC interns in Facebook post
    CPLC Summer 2022 interns.
  • Eddie Flores poses with environmental coloring book.
    CPLC co-chair Eddie Flores shares his environmental justice journey in a new coloring book.
  • Fire and smoke from explosion in a middle of a cityy
    US EPA must do more to prevent chemical disasters, says CPLC’s Celeste Flores. [Photo: Coming Clean]

WE DID IT! In 2022, after working together as a community for more than 10 years, we shut down the last two coal-burning units at the Waukegan Generating Station’s Lake Michigan site.

The coal plant’s closure definitely stands out as the biggest milestone of the year for Clean Power Lake County (CPLC). Yet it is just one of several moments in 2022 worth noting.

January

January 11: State Rep. Rita Mayfield and State Sen. Adriane Johnson introduced legislation (House Bill 4358/Senate Bill 3073) requiring removal of all coal ash from the Waukegan Generating Station site. The toxic waste has contaminated groundwater at the Lake Michigan site for more than 10 years.

February

February 18: CPLC supporters met virtually with state legislators to lobby for bills addressing environmental injustices in the issuance of permits, requiring removal of all coal ash from the Waukegan Generating Station site, and more.

February 25: The Illinois Senate passed a bill requiring removal of all coal ash from the Waukegan Generating Station site. If enacted, it would safeguard Lake Michigan, the main source of drinking water for nearly 6 million people.

April

April 7: Despite widespread community support and Illinois Senate approval, a bill requiring removal of all coal ash from the Waukegan Generating Station site did not advance in the Illinois House during the last week of the spring legislative session.

April 27: ComEd filed new rates with the Illinois Commerce Commission to give direct credits of more than $1 billion to customers—a result of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA).

June

June 1: NRG shut down the last two coal-burning units at the Waukegan Generating Station. Huge win for our community! Closing the lakefront coal plant has been CPLC’s top priority for almost 10 years.

June 9: WBEZ-Chicago and WGN-TV highlighted serious concerns about hazardous coal ash waste left behind at the newly closed Waukegan Generating Station. CPLC co-chair Dulce Ortiz, Sierra Club’s Christine Nannicelli, State Rep. Rita Mayfield, and Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor were interviewed.

June 13: CPLC celebrated the delivery of the first of six battery-electric Pace buses slated for Waukegan. The transit agency decided to make the North Division in Waukegan its first Zero Emission Facility in response to a strong campaign led by CPLC Steering Committee member Leah Hartung.

June 27: Citing newly identified flood risks at the Waukegan power plant, CPLC co-chair Dulce Ortiz demanded NRG be held accountable for cleaning up toxic coal ash at the site as soon as possible. Joining the call for action were Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor, State Rep. Rita Mayfield, State Sen. Adriane Johnson, and Congressman Brad Schneider.

July

July 28: CPLC offered a fond farewell to Summer 2022 interns: Waukegan native Michelle Aguilar, a government and politics major at Scripps College in Claremont, California; and Maddie Young, an environmental studies major at American University in Washington, D.C.

August

August 16: President Joe Biden signed a sweeping $750 billion health care, tax, and climate bill into law. Thanks to the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), Illinois is in a strong position to use the historic climate funding included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

August 20: CPLC co-chair Eddie Flores signed copies of Eddie’s Environmental Justice Journey during a downtown Waukegan event. The bilingual coloring book was a collaborative effort by Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, CPLC, and local artist Diana Nava.

August 25: Earthjustice—on behalf of CPLC and other groups—sued the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for exempting at least half a billion tons of coal ash in nearly 300 landfills in 38 states from standards designed to protect people from cancer-causing chemicals.

September

September 15: One year after the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) was signed, the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition saluted volunteers across Illinois—including CPLC supporters—who fought like the planet depended on it (it does) for a #FossilFreeIL.

September 26–28: CPLC Steering Committee member Celeste Flores urged the US EPA to require chemical facilities to prepare for climate change by implementing safer chemicals and processes. Our message during the virtual hearing: Voluntary measures aren’t enough to prevent chemical disasters.

November

November 4: A project to monitor ethylene oxide (EtO) in Lake County will receive a US EPA grant funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. “ Testing is a good start,” said CPLC Steering Committee member Celeste Flores in a Lake County News-Sun article.

December

December 14: Earthjustice—on behalf of CPLC and other groups—sued the US EPA for failing to take legally required action to protect the public from carcinogenic air emissions from ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization facilities.

2023 vision 

Now that pandemic lockdowns are behind us (forever, we hope!), we are excited about the opportunity to work with you in person once again!

Priorities for 2023: 

  • Ensuring all coal ash is removed from the Waukegan Generating Station site. It should not be allowed to contaminate Lake Michigan, the source of drinking water for 6 million people in four states.
  • Working to ensure workforce training programs under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) increase access for marginalized communities and include community-driven approaches that lead to jobs, capital to complete projects, and more.
  • Supporting federal action to protect our community from emissions of ethylene oxide and other harmful chemicals.

To support CPLC’s work, please make a gift today.

CPLC: 2021 highlights

Karen Long MacLeod Campaign Updates, Community News, Events, News Clips , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
  • Clipping of Chicago Tribune front page
    Chicago Tribune: Medline and Sterigenics are not reporting data to the EPA.
  • Volunteers in Zoom room
    CPLC volunteers making phone calls for CEJA.
  • Volunteers with rainbow "Love Wins" sign
    CPLC in its second appearance in Waukegan’s Pride Drive.
  • Youths with signs at Illinois statehouse
    CPLC volunteers at Springfield rally for a comprehensive, equitable climate bill.
  • Volunteers with trash bags at park
    CPLC volunteers and Sen. Adriane Johnson at North Chicago’s Foss Park.
  • Youths at desk in CPLC office
    CPLC summer interns.
  • Governor Pritzker at Chicago lakefront
    Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker with the newly signed Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
  • Dulce Ortiz of Clean Power Lake County
    CPLC co-chair Dulce Ortiz.
  • CPLC leaders at Chicago lakefront
    CPLC’s Dulce Ortiz and Celeste Flores at the signing of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
  • Man with award at Brushwood Center
    CPLC’s Eddie Flores, recipient of Environmental Youth Leadership Award from Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods.
  • Dulce Ortiz on beach by coal plant
    Chicago Tribune: CPLC’s fight for clean air, clean water, and healthy soil.

As we reflect on the events of 2021, we feel grateful for—and empowered by—our community and our shared vision to make our world a better place. Clean Power Lake County (CPLC) is proud to highlight some of our recent accomplishments.

February

  • February 7: CPLC co-chair Dulce Ortiz joined the Illinois Environmental Justice Commission as a voting member. The commission advises the Governor and state entities on environmental justice and related community issues.
  • February 8: Four members of CPLC’s steering committee joined a one-day hunger strike to protest the move of General Iron Industries’ metal shredding facility from Chicago’s affluent, predominantly white Lincoln Park neighborhood to Chicago’s predominantly Latino Southeast Side.

April

  • April 15: The Illinois Pollution Control Board adopted rules for closing more than 70 coal ash ponds across the state—including two on Waukegan’s lakefront. CPLC members worked hard to make this happen!
  • April 18: CPLC demanded that President Joe Biden’s administration address the Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to investigate ethylene oxide (EtO) polluters in Lake County—or to warn residents about the carcinogen.

May

  • May 17: “Transparency is key,” said CPLC co-chair Celeste Flores in a Chicago Tribune front-page story about Medline’s failure to report toxic ethylene oxide emissions to the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • May 24: CPLC organized one of several phone banking events supporting the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA).

June

  • June 2: CPLC participated in the Waukegan Pride Drive for the second consecutive year to help celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month. 
  • June 14: CPLC and allies told the Chicago Tribune that toxic waste left behind by coal-fired power plants could endanger drinking water for years to come.
  • June 15: CPLC volunteers journeyed to Springfield to advocate for passage of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s comprehensive, equitable climate bill.
  • June 17: NRG announced plans to close the coal-fired power plant in Waukegan. “Hundreds of volunteers, thousands of hours, helped make this day a reality,” said CPLC co-chair Dulce Ortiz. 

July

August 

  • August 2: Big win! After meeting with CPLC, the Environmental Protection Agency decided to revise rules for how coal-fired power plants—including the one in Waukegan—can dispose of contaminated wastewater.
  • August 7: CPLC partnered with Illinois Sen. Adrianne Johnson to organize a clean-up at North Chicago’s Foss Park. 

September 

October

  • October 2: CPLC steering committee member Eddie Flores received the Environmental Youth Leadership Award from Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods. 

December 

  • December 5: CPLC’s fight for clean air, clean water, and healthy soil in Waukegan was the subject of the front-page story in the Sunday edition of the Chicago Tribune. CPLC co-chair Dulce Ortiz and steering committee members Eddie Flores and Karen Long MacLeod were interviewed.
  • December 15-16: CPLC volunteers asked dozens of questions during Midwest Generation’s public meetings on proposed plans to close coal ash ponds on the Waukegan lakefront.  

2022 vision 

This year, we feel all the more energized to accomplish our mission: ensuring clean air, clean water, and healthy soil for every Lake County community member and achieving the self-determination of those disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution.

Priorities for 2022: 

  • Continue pursuing a just transition for the Waukegan coal plant. This means ensuring that coal ash is removed so it cannot contaminate Lake Michigan, the source of drinking water for 6 million people in four states. It also means ensuring proper notification and public engagement if and when the company plans any demolition at the site. 
  • Monitoring efforts to implement the Coal Ash Pollution Prevention Act (signed into law in 2019) to hold coal plant owners accountable for clean-ups.
  • Serving in key working groups to ensure effective implementation of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (signed into law in 2021).

Lawlor and Schneider Commit to Clean Power in Lake County

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Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor and U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois’ 10th District recently wrote a joint guest column in the Lake County News-Sun to express their commitment to delivering bold, local action on climate. They also expressed support for the guiding principles of the Lake County Climate Action Pledge, an initiative launched in August  in partnership with the Sierra Club.  

This July, Lake County was hit with the worst flood in recorded history, inundating neighborhoods and businesses. It was the second time in five years a major flood event triggered a county and state disaster declaration. Just weeks later, California was ravaged by wildfires and southeastern coastal states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were battered by three devastating hurricanes that devastated so many lives and impacted local economies.

The frequency and severity of major weather events are an unmistakable warning of the escalating impacts of climate change around the globe and here at home. President Trump’s cynical exit from the Paris Climate Accord and Congress’s stubborn refusal to act leaves our economic future more uncertain and the destruction of our environment more rapid.

In these unpredictable times, we can’t count on the White House or State House to deliver bold leadership. Tackling climate change will require leaders that cross party lines and generational divides. That’s why we, one a Republican, the other a Democrat, are standing together to advance bold local action on climate change with the help of local leaders and grassroots organizations.

In August, we proudly joined with the Sierra Club to launch the Lake County Climate Action Pledge on the shores of Lake Michigan with a diverse, bipartisan and passionate group of environmental champions ready to take on climate change in our own backyard by:

— Creating a responsible transition plan beyond coal, which would address the largest point source of carbon pollution in the county on the Waukegan lakefront.
— Making a long-term commitment to pursue 100% renewable energy that delivers consumer savings and new jobs for our local workforce.
— Building green infrastructure that incorporates plans for sustainable transportation.

Advancing these priorities will demonstrate that reducing carbon pollution and increasing economic opportunity can go hand and hand. By committing ourselves to these goals we can reduce some of the most avoidable public health threats our area faces and enhance quality of life for all of our neighbors.

President Trump’s direct attacks on efforts to tackle climate change at best ignore and, more dangerously, reject reality. And no argument is more disingenuous than the assertion that we must choose between growing our economy and protecting our environmental legacy.

The indisputable fact is that the clean energy economy is growing rapidly in red and blue states alike. In 2015, clean energy created jobs at a rate 12 times faster than the overall economy. It’s the lower costs of wind, solar, and natural gas that are pushing coal plants to retire at the same rate as before President Trump’s election and his Administration’s roll back of critical EPA protections.

We are inspired by the many local residents, youth leaders, pastors and parents have marched, lobbied, prayed and demonstrated that they have the courage to forge a clean energy future for Lake County. We are calling on our colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to show the same courage and join us in this important work.

We must come together to leverage new clean energy policies in Illinois and make smart investments in energy efficiency across public and private sectors. This is how we can finally begin to realize a future for Lake County where climate action and economic development go hand-in-hand; where cities and workers don’t have to react unexpectedly to rapidly changing economic forces but are prepared to adapt and seize new opportunities, ensuring no community is left behind.

Delivering bold, local action on climate will not be easy. It will require leadership across political parties, all levels of government, and the private sector. That’s the task we’re now called to, and if we as public officials can match the courage of our families and constituents, we know Lake County can lead the way.

Source: Lake County News-Sun

No Coal: Clean Energy Should Be the Goal

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A letter by Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs for the Respiratory Health Association—a lead partner in the Clean Power Lake County campaign—appeared in the December 7, 2017, edition of the Lake County News-Sun.

Compared to NRG’s coal plant on Waukegan’s lakefront, WE Energies’ Pleasant Prairie coal plant two miles north of the state line is nearly twice as big, half the age and 10 times less polluting. Yet WE Energies is shutting down that power plant this spring and will instead install 1.3 square miles of solar panels in the area by 2020.

That cleaner, newer, less health-damaging coal plant is closing and Wisconsin will see thousands of new solar jobs. Yet Waukegan keeps NRG’s daily deadly pollution and tiny solar projects built for show on a few local schools.

The utility industry has changed dramatically and Waukegan is behind the curve. In 2012, 19 coal power plants ringed Lake Michigan. None had pollution scrubbers. By late 2018, 10 of those will have ceased burning coal. Four more will have installed modern pollution controls that slash lung-damaging emissions 80 percent or more. Of the last five, NRG’s plant is by far the largest polluter operating on 1,600 miles of lakeshore across four states.

Many Lake County leaders, from County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor and County Board member Mary Ross Cunningham to Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering and Zion Mayor Al Hill, have signed the Lake County Climate Action Pledge, aiming to move Lake County beyond coal, adopt ambitious 100 percent clean energy goals, and build climate-resilient infrastructure. In order to protect the health and livelihoods of their constituents, all public officials in Lake County need to sign that pledge.

Source: Lake County New-Sun

The Lake County Climate Action Pledge is an initiative launched by Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor in partnership with the Sierra Club. For details about the central pillars of the pledge, see our September 17, 2017, Launching the Lake County Climate Pledge post.

‘Chicago Tonight’ Spotlights Waukegan Coal Plant Controversy

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Three members of the Clean Power Lake County Campaign were featured prominently in a March 23, 2016, report by “Chicago Tonight,” Chicago’s premier news and public affairs magazine.

Waukegan Fourth Ward Alderman David Villalobos, Sister Kathleen Long of Most Blessed Trinity Catholic Parish (Waukegan), and Christine Nannicelli of the Sierra Club highlighted several reasons why we are pushing for a transition plan that spells out a retirement date for the coal-fired power plant in Waukegan and also emphasizes renewable clean energy sources as part of the report, “Activists Call for Closure of Waukegan Coal-Fired Power Plant.”

The “Chicago Tonight” video and transcript are available online.

Area residents were quick to sound off—via the Lake County News-Sun—about on-camera remarks by Mayor Wayne Motley of Waukegan and Julie Contreras, chair of the Lake County Latino activist group LULAC:

Glad to see folks standing up for our lakefront and wanting to see a future without pollution. It’s been one of Waukegan’s greatest challenges to attract more visitors and new economic growth. There are so many opportunities here to chart a new path for Waukegan but we’re going to need courageous leadership that isn’t tied to out-of-state corporations. It’s encouraging to see Alderman (David) Villalobos have the independence, courage, and vision to speak out.

It was great to see more media coverage on the coal plant issue here in Waukegan. I applaud the persistent efforts of organizations and local leaders to push our city toward a cleaner and healthier future for our lakefront. However, I don’t see how Mayor Motley’s responses and perspective on the coal plant align with the plans of revitalizing the lakefront that will attract more visitors, businesses, and recreational activities. Waukegan wants to brand itself as a city moving forward and we need to address the pollution from the plant on the lakefront. Thank you.

I was happy to see that “Chicago Tonight” took an interest in Waukegan this week with its story, “Activists Call for Closure of Waukegan Coal-Fired Power Plant.” While a range of positions were expressed, I think we all know that coal pollution is dangerous. Waukegan has paid a big price for all the pollution it has endured for decades from corporations who make their profits and leave their contamination behind. It is important to plan a transition from the coal plant to clean energy precisely so people’s jobs and the city’s tax base not suddenly be lost when this aging coal plant—like so many in the country—ends up closing down. Hopefully one day elected officials will deny the corporate campaign contributions and do what’s right for our community. Waukegan deserves better.

I saw a TV program about the NRG coal-fired power plant in Waukegan. If the mayor is worried about the coal plant leaving the community, and the impacts to the tax base and jobs, then the city should begin planning for it now. I keep reading about coal plants closing and coal mining companies going into bankruptcy. That plant is old and will not keep running for much longer. Mayor Wayne Motley’s statements are short-sighted. He should see the great opportunity he has in front of him to demonstrate effective leadership to chart a responsible transition plan for the plant. Everyone

setheldon News Clips , , ,

A letter by David Villalobos, recruiting chair for the Clean Power Lake County campaign, appeared in the August 26, 2014, edition of the Lake County News-Sun.

Less Coal Pollution Is Still
Coal Pollution

A couple of weeks ago, NRG Energy announced plans for the future for its coal-burning power plant in Waukegan, my community, and it is a bleak future.

Although NRG is looking for praise for reducing coal pollution in Illinois — in part by installing legally required emission controls at the Waukegan plant and in part by upgrading or closing plants in other communities — the glaring fact remains that NRG’s decision will subject Waukegan to coal pollution and the wide-ranging health risks associated with coal pollution for years to come. Somewhat less coal pollution is still coal pollution. Only by completely eliminating the burning of coal can we end coal pollution for my community of Waukegan.

We must keep NRG’s decision in perspective: It is a step forward for Illinois, but it is the smallest step forward for Waukegan considering NRG’s financial resources and its branding as a company that “supports clean energy resources and technologies critical to our transition to a sustainable, low carbon society.”

We must continue to work with NRG to ensure a clean, healthy future for the lakefront and the city of Waukegan as a whole.

Source: Lake County New-Sun