The Illinois Environmental Council

Sing your heart out in support of Illinois’ environment! 🎤

As a bonus, some of your favorite lawmakers will be behind the bar to serve up cold beer and infused Malort 🍻

Join us for a toast to IEC and Mother Earth on June 18th at 6:30pm at Nisei Lounge, the oldest bar in Wrigleyville.

🎟️ Get your tickets ➡️ https://give.ilenviro.org/a/celebrity-bartender-2026

Join Chicago Area Public Affairs Group for an engaging conversation on the environment and climate with our CEO, Jen Walling! Don’t miss out on hearing about key policy developments from the recent legislative session and the most pressing climate issues impacting our communities today.

📅 Date: Thursday, June 18
📍 Location: Union League Club of Chicago
🔗 Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/future-of-environmental-policy-a-capag-conversation-with-jen-walling-tickets-1985317414831?aff=oddtdtcreator

Let’s celebrate the incredible organizers of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines! 🙌

Private companies are pushing hazardous, highly pressurized CO2 pipelines through Illinois, often threatening to use eminent domain to seize family farmland. Local communities are fighting back because of the significant safety and rupture risks these pipelines pose.

The Coalition has already proven they can stand up to these massive corporate developers and win. Now, they’ve built a powerful, bipartisan effort in Springfield to strip these pipeline companies of their eminent domain powers for good.

With an impressive track record like theirs, we know there will be a lot more giant-toppling ahead!

Learn more about their efforts here ➡️ https://www.illinoistimes.com/news/proposed-bill-would-stop-eminent-domain-for-carbon-dioxide-pipelines-in-illinois/

Fun fact! The Mississippi River is home to more than 260 species of fish. 🐟 That is more fish diversity than almost any other river system in North America. From paddlefish and sturgeon to catfish and walleye, the River is absolutely teeming with life.

We are all connected to this River, and it is only thriving if we protect it. This June 1–15, join and be part of the effort to keep the Mississippi healthy for people and wildlife alike.

🌊 Find events and learn more ➡️ mississippiriver.org/river-days-of-action 1 Mississippi

🎉HISTORIC WIN: Two major climate bills are officially Illinois law! 📣

While the federal government rolls back climate and equity protections, Illinois is leading the nation by passing the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act and the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Act!

Together with our partners in the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, we mobilized a climate majority in the Illinois General Assembly to pass these two bills last fall, accelerating our clean energy goals, lowering energy bills, and investing a historic $1.5 billion into public transit. As of today, CRGA and NITA are now law! ⚡️🚊

A huge thank you to our tireless staff, legislative champions, coalition partners, and every advocate who worked to make 2025 the year of climate! 🌎

BIG WIN! After *years* of advocacy, the IL General Assembly just passed SB3772, making historic progress for Illinois’ Environmental Justice (EJ) communities.

✅ Now, Illinois will have our first-ever legal framework for putting the needs of EJ communities ahead of big polluters’ agenda.

Here is how this landmark legislation helps our most polluted neighborhoods:

📣 EJ communities are typically low-income communities of color with high concentrations of industry, where air pollution can contribute to 5% of premature deaths and where asthma rates can reach 20% to 30% of children.

📊 SB3772 requires a cumulative impact analysis before new air permits are granted, evaluating the total combined pollution burden rather than looking at one facility in isolation.

🛑 If an assessment shows harmful impacts, the IEPA must consider changes before granting permits, allowing for tougher rules like improved air monitoring, fugitive dust controls, and increased testing.

As Jen Walling, CEO of IEC, put it: "This is a significant and meaningful step forward for communities who simply want clean air to breathe, and our work to secure that basic human right continues. We hope to secure greater protections for more communities in the future and the passage of the Hazel M. Johnson Cumulative Impacts Ordinance in Chicago.”

BIG BIG thank you to our incredible bill sponsors State Representative Lilian Jiménez and State Senator Celina Villanueva! We couldn't have done this without you, of course.

Special s/o to leaders on Governor JB Pritzker team, like Deputy Governor Bria Scudder and former Deputy Governor Christian Mitchell, IEPA Director James Jennings, and their policy teams for getting this done with us.