Replacing coal plant key for clean air in county

The City of Waukegan and the entire Lake County community have a major milestone pending. The Clean Power Lake County campaign is striving to achieve a healthier and more sustainable local environment. By retiring the coal-fired power plant on the lakefront, Waukegan will take a major step toward improving the community's overall Environmental Performance Index (EPI) as well as demonstrate how a community's resolve for local action can positively influence the larger Lake County environment.

Codeveloped by Yale and Columbia universities in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, the EPI consists of two indicators - Environmental Health (50 percent) and Ecosystem Vitality (50 percent)--and utilizes outcome-oriented indicators to correlate policymaker and public decisions with environmental impact.

Environmental Health focuses on water quality and air quality, aka air pollution, which contributes to asthma and other lung diseases. Ecosystem Vitality focuses on resources, habitats and climate, including CO2 emissions.

Getting NRG to commit to eventually retiring the coal plant, in favor of cleaner energy alternatives, will improve both measures.

The people of Waukegan have elected a new mayor. I implore Mr. Cunningham and NRG to join Clean Power Lake County in committing to a healthier, sustainable environment. Eventually replacing the coal plant is a critical and worthy goal for our community to assert a sustainable vision for our own water and air resources.

Karen Harrington

Libertyville