Lake Michigan

Waukegan Voters Support Transition Plan for NRG Coal Plant: Poll

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NRG’s Waukegan coal plant, on the Lake Michigan shore, is the largest source of air and water pollution in Lake County. [Photo by Lisa Long/Clean Power Lake County]

In December, we went to Waukegan City Hall to deliver 2,082 petitions requesting formation of a task force to plan the responsible transition of NRG Energy’s outdated coal-fired power plant on the Waukegan lakefront.

This month, we went back to Waukegan City Hall—this time, to deliver the results of an exciting new bipartisan poll that bolsters our argument that Waukegan is ready to transition to renewable energy.

An overwhelming 70 percent of Waukegan voters participating in the poll support a transition plan that sets a retirement date for the coal plant, considers clean energy alternatives, and promotes redevelopment of polluted sites along the lakefront.

Nearly eight in 10 voters in the city want this part of Illinois to start producing more electricity from solar energy, according to the poll. Conversely, most voters want this area to produce less electricity from coal.

The Global Strategy Group poll, released January 14, involved interviews with 300 registered voters in Waukegan between December 11 and December 20, 2015. It was commissioned by the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. For full poll results, click sierraclub.org/waukegan.

Add the convincing poll evidence to the recommendations of Waukegan’s own lakefront development consultants, Edgewater Resources:  These give Mayor Wayne Motley and the Waukegan City Council ample justification to bring NRG to the table to discuss a responsible transition away from coal in Waukegan.

Mayor Motley says he has contacted NRG Energy more than once about meeting with community stakeholders (see Poll: Waukegan residents want transition from coal to clean energy ).

In the meantime, Clean Power Lake County volunteers will continue working to build support for the transition task force.

Demanding a Forward-Looking Plan for NRG Coal Plant Site

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Clean Power petitioners
Clean Power Lake County coalition members gather in the lobby of Waukegan’s City Hall, ready to deliver 2,082 petitions to public officials. [Photo by Karen Long MacLeod/courtesy of Clean Power Lake County Campaign]
Earlier this month, we proudly delivered 2,082 petitions from Waukegan residents to Mayor Wayne Motley and members of the Waukegan City Council, asking them to convene a task force of key stakeholders to address the future of NRG Energy’s coal-fired power plant on the Waukegan lakefront.

The NRG plant, the largest source of air and water pollution in Lake County, was named one of the nation’s worst environmental justice offenders in a 2012 NAACP report.

We know that the 57-year-old plant endangers the health of people living in Waukegan and other Lake County communities. We believe that the plant also stands in the way of meaningful lakefront revitalization and economic growth in Waukegan.

Representing each of the city’s nine wards, we delivered a powerful message: Residents throughout the city want a transition plan that establishes a retirement date for the plant, provides pathways to new opportunities for workers who aren’t eligible for retirement, provides a site remediation plan, and provides recommendations for site reuse that account for Waukegan’s tax base.

For detailed comments, see Waukegan Residents Deliver 2,082 Petitions to City Council Demanding Forward-Looking Plan for NRG Coal Plant Site.

Five of the nine city council members thanked us for actively reaching out to community members and demonstrating a strong commitment to bettering our city.

Mayor Motley has not yet committed to convening the transition task force, but said he has reached out to NRG Energy about coming to the table to talk.

So far, NRG has said “no.” According to a December 17, 2015, article in the Lake County News-Sun, NRG spokesman David Gaier said the Waukegan Generation Station will continue to function as a coal-burning plant indefinitely.

 

 

Praying for Environmental Justice

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Let relief come to all people impacted by pollution and climate change. 

Let NRG Energy work with us to end the burning of coal and to bring clean energy to our community.

Let us have the strength to continue our struggle for environmental justice.

Let our community, our lakefront and our environment enjoy a rebirth.

These simple prayers seemed to carry special power on Sunday, November 1, when voiced by Waukegan faith leaders and more than 150 Lake County residents commemorating Dia de los Muertos in a march and vigil organized by the Clean Power Lake County Campaign.

From senior citizens to toddlers, these community members processed solemnly, heads bowed, from Bowen Park to NRG Energy’s coal-fired power plant on the shore of Lake Michigan. (The NRG plant, the largest source of air and water pollution in Lake County, was named one of the nation’s worst environmental justice offenders in a 2012 NAACP report.)

Near the coal plant, they listened intently as speakers explained how industrial pollution in Waukegan continues to pose significant health risks for local residents. They also heard how ongoing pollution from the NRG coal plant stands in the way of vibrant economic redevelopment that might attract recreational tourism and new businesses to Waukegan.

Together, they called on Waukegan Mayor Wayne Motley to bring NRG Energy to the table to set a clear retirement date for the coal plant and establish plans to protect impacted workers and remediate the site.

Building on that strong sentiment, Clean Power Lake County supporters have begun collecting petitions addressed to Mayor Motley and Waukegan’s City Council. The petitions urge Motley to convene a transition task force to plan for the future of the NRG coal plant site so Waukegan can move forward as a healthier community with meaningful options for lakefront revitalization and economic growth.

Click here to sign the Clean Power Lake County petition for clean air in Waukegan and Lake County!

 

Embracing a Vision of a More Beautiful Lakefront

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Volunteers pick up trash on Waukegan's beach.
More than 120 people who live near Waukegan’s coal-fired power plant collect bags of trash at Waukegan Municipal Beach during Clean Power Lake County Campaign’s second annual beach cleanup. [Photo by Karen Long MacLeod/Clean Power Lake County Campaign]
As morning showers gave way to afternoon sunshine on August 23, approximately 120 Lake County residents headed to the beach on Waukegan’s beautiful lakefront to rally for clean air, clean water, and clean energy.

First, we swept the beach and the adjoining dunes to take care of the pollution we can control–like litter–as part of our second annual beach cleanup. Then we called for NRG Energy to act to retire its old and dirty coal-fired power plant, which stands less than a mile north of Waukegan’s swimming beach.

Clean Power Lake County volunteers hold "We Are Waukegan" canvas banner
With NRG Energy’s dirty coal-fired power plant in the background, volunteers hold a canvas banner proclaiming why Waukeganites care about clean air and clean water. [Photo by Karen Long MacLeod/Clean Power Lake County Campaign.]
The NRG plant, the largest source of air and water pollution in Lake County, was named one of the nation’s worst environmental justice offenders in a 2012 NAACP report.

“For too long, corporate polluters like NRG Energy have taken advantage of our lakefront and made our families sick,” Maryfran Troha told volunteers as they finished the August 23 cleanup.

Troha, a lifelong Waukegan resident, represents Clean Power Lake County coalition partners Christ Episcopal Church and the League of Women Voters of Lake County.

“I’m sick of it. I’m ready for a clean Waukegan for all of us because we deserve so much better,” Troha said.

Students with clean air and climate action signs
Students participating in the beach cleanup and rally make it clear that they want clean air. [Photo by Karen Long MacLeod/Clean Power Lake County Campaign.]
The most immediate thing we can do to help protect Waukegan’s lakefront is to attend the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Clean Air Act hearing on September 2, 2015. The hearing will focus on the operating permit for NRG’s coal-fired power plant in Waukegan.

RSVP to stand with Clean Power Lake County and Sierra Club to fight for clean air in Waukegan and Lake County!

Event Summary

What: Illinois EPA Hearing on Waukegan Coal Plant
Where: Illinois Beach State Park Resort, 1 Lakefront Drive, Zion, IL 60099 [map]
When: Wednesday, September 2, 2015, 7 p.m. .
RSVP and questions: Alex Morgan

Back to the Beach: Taking Care of Waukegan’s Lakefront

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A year ago, the Clean Power Lake County Campaign gathered more than 120 people from all walks of life to clean up Waukegan’s Municipal Beach and to demand new clean-energy policies for their hometowns. Students, parents and senior citizens had one thing in common: outrage toward NRG Energy, whose coal-fired power plants are some of the worst carbon polluters in Illinois.

NRG’s coal plants have faced numerous lawsuits for violations of the Clean Air Act, violations related to high levels of dangerous pollutants in groundwater near coal ash dumps adjacent to the coal plants, and repeated sulfur dioxide violations.

That’s why concerned citizens were willing to draw a line across the sand as part of Clean Power Lake County’s “Hands Across the Sand” event:

Clearly, standing together makes us stronger.

“I’m still convinced there’s a lot of power in people,” said Tracy Fox of Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste in Peoria, Illinois, stated. “We in central Illinois stand in solidarity with Lake County, and hope we can do great things together.”

This sentiment was echoed by Maria Contreras, a Waukegan High School student: “I know that I can make a difference.”

Now we have another opportunity to stand together. The Clean Power Lake County Campaign will host its second annual Waukegan beach cleanup on August 23. Together, we will celebrate our beautiful lakefront and discuss how we can protect it in the long run.

Event Summary
What: Clean Power Lake County Beach Cleanup/Limpieza de Nuestra Playa
Where: Waukegan Municipal Beach, 201 Sea Horse Drive, Waukegan, IL 60085
When: Sunday, August 23, 2015, 1 p.m.
RSVP and questions: Alex Morgan

Standing Strong for Waukegan’s Lakefront

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More than 120 people stand together on Waukegan’s Municipal Beach—in view of the coal-fired NRG plant—to demand healthier a clean-energy economy. [Photo by Karen Long MacLeod/courtesy of Clean Power Lake County Campaign]
How does it feel to cross through the dunes that line the Waukegan lakefront, plant your feet in the warm sand, gaze out across the clear blue water of Lake Michigan on a picture-perfect day, and stand hand in hand with friends old and new in a line as long as two football fields end to end?

“Inclusive.” “Far-reaching.” “Inspiring.”

You know you are standing up for something that’s worth protecting. You know you are in good company.

That’s how we felt after Hands Across the Sand: Solidarity for Clean Water & Clean Power, a beach sweep and clean-energy rally hosted by the Clean Power Lake County Campaign on Sunday, September 28, at Waukegan’s Municipal Beach.

And we felt that way whether we hailed from the lakefront communities of Waukegan, North Chicago, Zion or Winthrop Harbor, from other Lake County communities, or even from Joliet and Peoria.

Dulce “Candy” Ortiz and Antonio Lopez.
Antonio Lopez (second from right), executive director of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization in Chicago, presents a bandana from the People’s Climate Justice Summit as a souvenir to Dulce “Candy” Ortiz (second from left) of Waukegan in recognition of their common goals of environmental, economic and social justice. Lopez marched in the People’s Climate March in New York City on September 21 and attended the People’s Climate Justice Summit September 22-23. Also shown: Sister Kathleen Long (left) of Most Blessed Trinity Parish of Waukegan, and David Villalobos (right) of Waukegan. [Photo by Karen Long MacLeod/ courtesy of Clean Power Lake County Campaign]
Beach sweep during Hands Across the Sand.
Volunteers picked up enough trash to fill dozens of garbage bags during a sweep of Waukegan’s Municipal Beach. [Photo by Karen Long MacLeod/courtesy of Clean Power Lake County Campaign]
Why we felt so good after Hands Across the Sand:

  • We picked up enough litter to fill dozens of garbage bags, which helped enhance Waukegan’s lakefront for the enjoyment of its many visitors.
  • We introduced several people who’d never visited Waukegan’s beach to a unique, irreplaceable natural resource.
  • We learned how healthier clean-energy economies ensure environmental, economic and social justice.

For more details, check out our 9/29/14 press release or the 9/29/14 story in the Lake County News-Sun.