ILLINOIS TO SHUT ALL FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS BY 2045

A bipartisan majority in the Illinois House has voted (83 yes to 33 no) to pass the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (SB2408).

Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL) will sign the historic clean energy bill tomorrow that will shut down all of the state’s fossil fuel plants by 2045. It also sets more aggressive targets for the dirtiest plants and those in environmental justice communities.

Here are the bill’s clean energy and energy efficiency highlights:

Invests $580 million a year to increase Illinois’s clean energy from 9% to 50% by 2040 and creates thousands of new jobs

Community solar programs increase from $10 million a year to $50 million a year

Saves domestic solar industry that was booming before the economic downturn caused by the pandemic

Saves hundreds of millions of dollars a year by expanding energy efficiency especially in low-income weatherization programs, lessening energy burden on disadvantaged communities

Expands labor standards in clean energy projects throughout the state

The bill also addresses issues related to equity, utility accountability, and just transition. On the transportation front, $78 million a year will be devoted over the next decade to electric transportation, with 45% of benefits going to low-income communities - link - Michelle Lewis - link - more like this - link