Numerous local, regional and national media outlets have covered the work of Clean Power Lake County and interviewed our volunteer leaders.
2022
August 25, 2022, Courthouse News Service: Groups seek ‘overdue’ review of coal ash monitoring exemption
August 25, 2022, Energy News Network: Lawsuit: Unregulated coal ash poses a buried, brewing threat to Lake Michigan and beyond
June 20, 2022, Daily Herald: Study identifies Waukegan coal plant as potential flooding, contamination risk
June 9, 2022, WGN Chicago: Closing of Waukegan coal plant causes controversy among residents
June 6, 2022, WBEZ Chicago: Waukegan says goodbye to a coal plant but must now contend with its industrial waste
June 6, 2022, Northern Public Radio: Activists say Waukegan coal plant will still threaten community after closure
April 12, 2022, Yale Climate Connections: ‘Can our politics rise to the climate challenge?’
March 31, 2022, Energy News Network: Illinois environmental justice bill would help residents prevent pollution
March 14, 2022, Daily Herald: Lawmakers address concerns of Lake Michigan contamination from Waukegan Power Plant
January 4, 2022, Chicago Tribune: Top environment stories of 2021: A paltry number of lead pipe replacements, pollution next door and trillions of invasive mussels blanketing Lake Michigan
2021
December 20, 2021, Chicago Tribune: Waukegan Mayor Taylor, state Rep. Mayfield not satisfied with NRG’s plans for closing coal ash ponds
December 19, 2021, Chicago Tribune: Waukegan coal plant owner holds meeting to discuss plans for closing coal ash ponds
December 5, 2021, Chicago Tribune: Waukegan’s legacy of industrial pollution: Residents organizing to fight in home of 5 Superfund sites (front page of Sunday edition)
December 3, 2021, Chicago Tribune: Waukegan residents fighting decades of industrial pollution: ‘Just because something isn’t perfect doesn’t mean you abandon it.’
October 28, 2021, People’s World: Manchin kills Biden’s clean energy plan, leaving states and cities to lead
September 29, 2021, NPR-St. Louis Public Radio: Illinois power plants may face new rules for managing toxic coal ash
September 29, 2021, WTTW – Chicago Tonight Black Voices: Illinois’ energy bill a power surge for equity efforts (with video)
September 18, 2021, Chicago Crusader: Pace Suburban Bus announces commitment to zero emission vehicles by 2040
September 16, 2021, Public News Service: Landmark climate, jobs law hailed in Illinois
September 10, 2021, The State Journal-Register: Clean-energy bill passed by Illinois House; Senate scheduled to vote on plan Monday
August 27, 2021, Chicago Tribune: Environmental racism, unregulated chemicals, staffing shortages among the many challenges facing whomever Biden picks to lead the EPA in the Midwest
July 31, 2021, WTTW – Chicago Tonight Latino Voices: How communities are taking action against climate change and steps toward environmental justice (with video)
June 21, 2021, Energy News Network: Illinois coal plants are closing even as fossil fuel objections stall energy bill again
June 18, 2021, Chicago Tribune: Shutdown of coal-fired sites comes amid debate over Pritzker’s clean-energy plan
June 17, 2021, Chicago News-Sun: Waukegan, Romeoville coal-fired power plants to shut down in 2022
June 14, 2021, Chicago Tribune: Toxic waste left behind by coal-fired power plants could endanger public health for years to come
May 17, 2021, Chicago Tribune: Medline and Sterigenics haven’t reported cancer-causing ethylene oxide emissions to the EPA’s pollution inventory for years
2020
November 12, 2020, One Illinois: Clean Energy Lobby Day goes virtual
November 12, 2020, Solar Power World: More than 1,000 Illinoisans advocate for Clean Energy Jobs Act in virtual lobby day
October 1, 2020, Daily Herald: Clean power in Lake County: Environmental justice leaders discuss how to secure a just and sustainable future for all at Brushwood Center’s Smith Nature Symposium
September 14, 2020, Energy News Network: Energy News Network’s 2020 40 Under 40 Honorees
August 31, 2020, New York Times: EPA relaxes rules limiting toxic waste from coal plants
August 6, 2020, Utilitydive.com: After ComEd bribery case, Illinois groups push for changes to clean energy
August 5, 2020, WTTW – Chicago Tonight: Clean energy advocates hope to capitalize on ComEd backlash
August 5, 2020, One Illinois: CEJA: Stronger than dirty energy
June 17, 2020, Lake County News-Sun: Ethylene oxide testing around two Lake County plants concluded
May 4, 2020, WTTW – Chicago Tonight: Keeping Waukegan residents safe from coronavirus, environmental concerns
April 28, 2020, The Hill: More than 150 groups write in opposition to EPA coronavirus compliance policy
April 21, 2020, WTTW News: Earth Day is turning 50. Here’s how to participate via virtual events
April 3, 2020, Chicago Tribune: Trump EPA still hasn’t told thousands of Americans about cancer risks from ethylene oxide
March 5, 2020, Solar Power World: Illinois activists rally for 100% renewables by 2050
February 3, 2020, Chicago Tribune: A lifelong dream. Lake County residents jump at chance to attend State of the Union
January 27, 2020, One Illinois: 23,000 Illinoisans call for Clean Energy Jobs Act
January 21, 2020, Chicago Tribune: Advocates of Illinois energy overhaul say new federal rules could raise bills for ComEd Customers
2019
December 5, 2019, The American Prospect: Advocates of Illinois energy overhaul say new federal rules could raise bills for ComEd Customers
November 26, 2019, ABC-7 Eyewitness News Chicago: Higher levels of cancer-causing ethylene oxide detected near 2 plants in Lake County, Illinois
August 15, 2019, Univision Chicago/Channel 66: “They’re killing us:” Tests reveal that there are alarming levels of a toxic gas in Waukegan’s air that can cause cancer
August 12, 2019, Lake County News-Sun: Duckworth: Ethylene oxide-emitting facilities in Waukegan, Gurnee ‘definitely’ didn’t get same response as Sterigenics in Willowbrook
July 31, 2019, Lake County News-Sun: Pritzker signs new environmental law aimed at coal ash ponds like those outside Waukegan Generating Station
June 21, 2019, Chicago Tribune: Illinois pollution board rules Waukegan lakefront coal plant polluted groundwater with coal ash
May 25, 2019, Daily Herald: Manufacturer Gives Update on Facility’s Emission Reduction Plan
May 24, 2019, Lake County News-Sun: Community Skeptical of State EPA’s Proposed Ethylene Oxide Controls at Medline Facility in Waukegan
May 7, 2019, The Intercept: Air Pollution Crisis Exposes More Environmental Racism in Illinois
April 12, 2019, Adelante (WGN TV): Clean Power Lake County (video)
February 28, 2019, Energy News Network: Aggressive Clean Energy Bill Would Push Illinois to 100% Renewables by 2050
2018
December 12, 2018, Sierra Club: Cap and Run: Waukegan (video with Dulce Ortiz)
November 25, 2018, Lake County News-Sun: Soot to Solar Report (near end of “Washington Street Repairs in Final Stretch” story)
November 13, 2018, WBEZ Chicago: Illinois to Drop Electricity Carbon Emissions 22% by 2030
November 4, 2018, Lake County News-Sun: Dangerous Emissions (front page of Sunday edition)
November 4, 2018, Chicago Tribune: Lake County Emissions Tied to Cancer (front page of Sunday edition)
November 2, 2018, ABC-7 Eyewitness News: 2 Lake County Medical Manufacturing Plants’ Toxic Emissions Cause Concern
November 2, 2018, Chicago Tribune: 2 Lake County Polluters Emit Same Cancer-Causing Gas as Sterigenics, but Authorities Haven’t Warned the Public
November 2, 2018, Union of Concerned Scientists blog: Unmasking the Waukegan Coal Plant Reliability Myth
October 26, 2018, Energy News Network: Science Group to Illinois: Close More Coal Plants, and Do It Quickly
October 24, 2018, Union of Concerned Scientists blog: New Report Has Bad News for Illinois Coal Plants: It’s Time to Go
October 2, 2018, WBBM News Radio: Environmental Activists Fight Back Against Trump Administration’s Affordable Clean Energy Plan
October 1, 2018, One Illinois: Trump Energy Rules Draw Flak at Chicago Hearing
July 6, 2018, Lake County News-Sun: Lake County Environmentalists Still on Guard After Pruitt Leaves EPA: ‘We Have to Move Forward With the Fight’
May 7, 2018, Lake County News-Sun: Lake County Leaders Back Madigan’s Lawsuit Threat Over EPA Rules
2017
December 19, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Guest Column: Our Commitment Is That Clean Power Will Thrive in Lake County
December 13, 2017, Puro Futbol: Se une para ayudar a Puerto Rico
December 8, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Post-Hurricane Aid for Puerto Rico Presses on With Waukegan Fundraiser
November 27, 2017, Midwest Energy News: Battle Over Coal Ash Continues in Illinois, With Hearings Underway
November 9, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Former Presidential Adviser: ‘No Argument’ Among Scientists That Humans Causing Climate Change
October 21, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Illinois Pollution Board to Rule on Complaint Alleging Coal Ash Contaminated Groundwater
September 20, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: ‘Getting people out of the shadows’: Dreamers rally for support in Waukegan
August 28, 2017, Daily Herald: Lake County Leaders Pledge to Tackle Climate Change
August 25, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Lake County Chairman Sets Goals to Address Climate Change, Urges Retiring Waukegan Coal Plant
August 22, 2017, Daily Herald: Waukegan Beach Rally Focuses on Need for Countywide Transition to Clean Energy
August, 20, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Waukegan Beach Rally Focuses on Need for Countywide Transition to Clean Energy
August 2, 2017, HuffPost: Scott Pruitt Must Not Delay Critical Water Toxics Standards For Coal Plants
August 1, 2017, Midwest Energy News: Illinois Advocates Urge EPA Not to Roll Back Coal Ash Regulation
July 31, 2017, Think Progress: Clean Water Advocates Tell Trump Administration to ‘Stop Pandering to Polluters’
July 25, 2017, Daily Herald: Clean Power Lake County Applauds Waukegan City Council’s Adoption of Paris Climate Agreement Goals
July 3, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Protests Held Along Lake Michigan Shoreline to Support Great Lakes Funding
June 22, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Waukegan Mayor Says He Plans to Sign On to Paris Agreement
June 20, 2017, Daily Herald: Future Energy Jobs Act Creates Opportunities for Clean Energy Development and Lake County Jobs
June 20, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Energy Options Discussed at Town Hall
June 15, 2017, Daily Herald: Waukegan Town Hall Focuses on Economic Importance of Future Energy Jobs Act for Lake County Residents
June 14, 2017, Pacific Standard: Inside the Struggle for Clean Energy in Waukegan, Illinois
June 9, 2017, NPR/Latino USA: The Waukegan Way: Hardscrabble Politics and Clean Energy in Illinois
May 21, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Despite Trump, Waukegan Residents Push Schneider From the Left at Town Hall
May 18, 2017, NPR Illinois: Illinois Issues: State Marches Toward Clean Energy
May 16, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Clean Power Advocates Challenge Cunningham at New Mayor’s First Full Meeting
May 3, 2017, Daily Herald: Clean Power Lake County Members March for Climate Action on Trump’s 100th Day in Office
May 2, 2017, Deerfield Review/Lake County News-Sun: Clean Power Lake County Members March for Climate Action on Trump’s 100th Day in Office
April 21, 2017, Lake County News-Sun: Lake County Green Conference touts hope, solar energy projects
March 2, 2017, Daily Herald: Environmental Film Festival Opens Saturday in Lake County
February 28, 2017, Daily Herald: March 4-11: One Earth Film Festival Comes to Lake County
February 27, 2017, Daily Herald: One Earth Film Festival Showcases Community-based Conservation Stories in 5 Films
February 24, 2017, Deerfield Review/Lake County News-Sun: One Earth Film Festival Showcases Community-Based Conservation Stories in 5 Films
2016
December 15, 2016, The Years Blog: Winning on Clean Energy, and What Comes Next in Waukegan
December 14, 2016, Latin Times: Years of Living Dangerously: America Ferrera Shares Important Facts on Global Warming in New Episode
December 14, 2016, Refinery29: America Ferrera on One Reason Living Under Trump Is “Terrifying”
December 14, 2016, Latina.com: America Ferrera Shares Heartbreaking Climate Change Story in ‘Years Of Living Dangerously’ Episode
December 14, 2016, WGN Radio: Clean Power Lake County Campaign in Waukegan
December 13, 2016, Daily Kos: Wednesday Night TV: Beyond Coal in the National Spotlight
December 13, 2016, Green Biz: The Human Stories Behind the ‘Coal Wars’
December 12, 2016, Daily North Shore: League Says: Watch ‘Years of Living …
December 12, 2016: SJNN (Social Justice News Nexus): Waukegan Environmentalists Celebrate Passage of Illinois Clean Energy Bill
December 6, 2016, Chicago Tribune/News-Sun: Emmy Award-Winning National Geographic Series Focuses National Attention on Waukegan
December 2, 2016, Chicago Tribune/News-Sun: When America Ferrera Met Waukegan
December 1, 2016, Years of Living Dangerously: America Ferrera and Coal Wars (video trailer)
December 1, 2016, Sierra Club: Sierra Club Statement on Illinois Energy Bill SB 2814
August 29, 2016, Daily Herald: Lake County Residents Impacted by NRG Coal Plant Affirm Positive Vision for a Cleaner Waukegan
August 27, 2016, Chicago Tribune/News-Sun: Residents Impacted by NRG Coal Plant Affirm Positive Vision for a Cleaner Waukegan
August 9, 2016, CAN-TV: Clean Energy Incentive Program Rally (video)
August 3, 2016, Chicago Tribune/News-Sun: Waukegan Residents Join Hundreds in Chicago for Clean Energy Rally and EPA Hearing
June 20, 2016, Daily Herald: June Workshops Give Lake County Residents a Chance to Help Develop ON TO 2050 Regional Planning Goals
June 19, 2016, Chicago Tribune: June Workshops Give Lake County Residents a Chance to Help Develop ON TO 2050 Regional Planning Goals
June 15, 2016, Chicago Reader: Illinois Coal’s Last Stand
May 27, 2016, Chicago Tribune: Community Members Push for Stronger Regulations on Coal-Ash Ponds
May 2, 2016, WBEZ Chicago: The Future of Coal in Illinois and Beyond
May 1, 2016, Lake County News-Sun: Waukegan Residents Join Hundreds in Springfield for Earth Day Rally
April 1, 2016, Lake County News-Sun: Debate Over Future of Waukegan’s Lakefront Coal Plant Continues
March 23, 2016, Chicago Tonight (WTTW-11): Activists Call for Closure of Waukegan Coal-Fired Power Plant
March 14, 2016, The Atlantic/CityLab: Why the U.S. Civil Rights Commission Is Investigating the EPA
March 11, 2016, Utility Dive: Civil Rights Hearing Focuses on Illinois Coal Plant
March 10, 2016, Midwest Energy News: Civil Rights Investigation Probes Environmental Justice in Illinois
March 9, 2016, Lake County News-Sun: Waukegan Not Only Draws Celebrities, It Produces Them
February 5, 2016, Center for Public Integrity: Residents of Minority Communities Decry Dumping of Toxic Coal Ash
January 21, 2016, Lake County News-Sun: Poll: Waukegan Residents Want Transition From Coal to Clean Energy
January 14, 2016, Progress Illinois: EPA Climate Regs to be ‘Big Fight’ in State Legislatures This Year
2015
December 17, 2015, Lake County News-Sun: Despite Protests, Waukegan Power Plant to Burn Coal Indefinitely
December 12, 2015, Lake County News-Sun: Waukegan Residents Deliver 2,082 Petitions to City Council Demanding Forward-Looking Plan for NRG Coal Plant Site
November 16, 2015: Waukegan Faith Leaders Head Dia de los Muertos March and Vigil for People Impacted by NRG Energy’s Coal Plant
November 14, 2015, Lake County News-Sun: Waukegan Faith Leaders Head Dia de los Muertos March and Vigil for People Impacted by NRG Energy’s Coal Plant
November 3, 2015, Puro Futbol: Hacen Vigilia por Aire limpio (They Vigil for Clean Air)
November 1, 2015, Univision Chicago: Protestas por Contaminación en Waukegan
October 30, 2015, Lake County News-Sun: Waukegan Faith Leaders to Hold Dia de los Muertos March and Vigil for People Impacted by NRG Energy’s Coal Plant
September 6, 2015, Lake County News-Sun: Environmentalists, Waukegan Coal Plant Clash Over 9-year-old Permit Issue
August 29, 2015, Lake County News-Sun: Clean Power Lake County Campaign Hosts Second Annual Beach Cleanup in Waukegan
August 10, 2015, Lake County News-Sun: Obama’s Clean Power Plan Finds Support Along Lake County Lakefront
July 28, 2015, Lake County News-Sun: Residents From Waukegan and Lake County Urge City of Waukegan to Include Long-Term Plan for NRG Coal Plant in Its Lakefront Plan
April 23, 2015, Daily Herald: Waukegan and Lake County Community Members Join Hundreds in Springfield for Clean Energy and Climate Action on Earth Day
April 22, 2015, Lake County News-Sun: Waukegan and Lake County Community Members Join Hundreds in Springfield for Clean Energy and Climate Action on Earth Day
April 16, 2015, Daily Herald: Clean Jobs Bill Has Potential to Create 32,000 New Jobs in Illinois
April 13, 2015, Lake County News-Sun: Clean Jobs Bill Has Potential to Create 32,000 New Jobs in Illinois
April 7, 2015, Daily Herald: Clean Jobs Forum 2015 focuses on economic opportunity for Lake County
March 31, 2015, Lake County News-Sun: Clean Jobs Forum 2015 Focuses on Economic Opportunity for Lake County
February 20, 2015, Progress Illinois: Groups Allowed to Expand Coal Ash Lawsuit Against NRG Energy
2014
December 30, 2014, Lake County News-Sun: New EPA Coal-Ash Rules Draw Mixed Reactions Related to Waukegan Plant
October 23, 2014, Lake County News-Sun: Volunteers Make Waukegan Beach Cleanest ‘It’s Been in Years’
October 22, 2014, Lake County News-Sun: NRG Coal Plant Plan Seems Depressingly Familiar for Waukegan
October 17, 2014, Lake County News-Sun: NRG Moves on With Waukegan Coal-Plant Upgrade
October 10, 2014, The Planet (Sierra Club blog): Hands Across the Sands in Waukegan
September 29, 2014, Lake County News-Sun: Clean Power Demanded at Waukegan Plant
August 7, 2014, Chicago Tribune: Environmentalists Say NRG Plan Doesn’t Go Far Enough
July 10, 2014, Lake County News-Sun: Lake County Lawmakers Ask Energy Company for Waukegan Coal Plant Answers
July 1, 2014, Lake County News-Sun: Demonstrators Call for Clean Energy Change at Waukegan Coal Plant
July 1, 2014, Progress Illinois: Lake County Environmental Coalition Sends Petitions to NRG Energy Over Future Of Waukegan Coal Plant (video)
May 31, 2014, Al Jazeera America: Waukegan Generating Station Outdated (video broadcast)
May 16, 2014, Lake County News-Sun: Illinois Pollution Control Board Hearing Brings Cries Against Coal Ash
May 15, 2014, Medill News Service: Illinois Residents Call for Stronger Regulation of Coal Ash Pits
May 14, 2014, Progress Illinois: Illinois Residents, Environmental Groups Sound the Alarm on Coal Ash Dangers
April 17, 2014, Medill News Service: Calls for Action Dominate Lake County’s Clean Energy Forum
April 17, 2014, Medill News Service: Save Money, Fight Climate Change
April 16, 2014, Lake County News-Sun: Clean Energy Forum Urges Waukegan, North Chicago Residents to Act
2013
November 15, 2013, Lake County Suburban Life: Coal Today, Coal Tomorrow? Residents Question Future of Waukegan Power Plant
April 26, 2013, Lake County News-Sun: Protesters Speak Out Against Coal Plant’s Upgrade Extension
Clean Power Lake County 