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Get Off Oil bill Introduced
SB 3527 would set Illinois state policy to cut oil use in half by 2050

In February 2012, Environment Illinois, Senator Toi Hutchinson, and Representative Art Turner introduced a bill to reduce Illinois' dependence on oil. SB 3527 sets ambitious goals to cut Illinois' oil use 30% by 2030 and 50% by 2050, tasking the state with developing a specific, comprehensive plan to meet those goals.

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FedEx: We need to get off oil

FedEx, citing the economic and national security harms posed by oil dependence, and the inability to meet our energy needs by drilling alone, announces plan to get off oil. 

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News Release | Environment Illinois Research & Education Center

24 out of 25 Illinoisans Live in Areas Hit by Recent Weather Disasters, New Report Finds—Global Warming to Bring More Extreme Weather

After a year that saw many parts of the country hit by scorching heat, devastating wildfires, severe storms and record flooding, a new report finds that the vast majority of Illinoisans live in counties recently affected by weather disasters. Given that global warming could lead to certain extreme weather events becoming even more common or more severe in the future, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Environment Illinois, and experts today called for U.S. EPA to finalize pending rules to cut the largest sources of dangerous carbon pollution.

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Report | Environment Illinois Research & Education Center

In the Path of the Storm

Weather disasters kill or injure hundreds of Americans each year and cause billions of dollars in economic damage. The risks posed by some types of weather-related disasters will likely increase in a warming world. Scientists have already detected increases in extreme precipitation events and heat waves in the United States, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently concluded that global warming will likely lead to further changes in weather extremes.

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News Release | Environment Illinois Research & Education Center

Obama Administration to Protect Americans’ Health by Setting Carbon Pollution Standards for New Power Plants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed historic new limits on carbon pollution from new power plants. Coal-fired power plants are the largest single source of carbon pollution in the U.S., yet there are currently no federal limits on this pollution from power plants. The proposed Carbon Pollution Standard will correct that for new power plants by limiting emissions to more than 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution for each megawatt of electricity produced.

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Report | Environment Illinois Research & Policy Center

Getting Off Oil

America's dependence on oil inflicts a heavy toll on our environment. There are many technologies and policy tools, however, that can curb America’s dependence on oil--and Illinois can take the lead. 
 

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