As another summer of record-breaking high temperatures draws to a close, it is impossible to ignore the urgent need to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A new analysis by Frontier Group, Environment America Research and Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund finds that Prairie State Generating Station in Marissa, Illinois, is the 12th biggest climate polluter in America.
Municipalities across the state, including Winnetka, St. Charles and Naperville, receive energy from Prairie State via contracts with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA), which is a co-owner of the plant. These contracts expire in 2035, but IMEA, which receives 80% of its power supply from coal-powered plants, is currently trying to extend its contracts with Illinois municipalities through 2050, locking them into relying on dirty coal power for an additional 15 years.
Prairie State produced 11.03 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, equivalent to the emissions produced by 2.6 million gas-powered cars in a year. By trapping heat in the atmosphere, these emissions contribute to more frequent and intense extreme weather events, like the 100 tornadoes we had in Illinois this year, more than twice the annual average. They also pollute our air, leading to increased cases of asthma, cancer, and other health impacts.
Soot pollution from Prairie State contributes to 76 premature deaths each year, making it the 11th deadliest coal plant in the country.
While this new data shows some improvement over 2021, when Prairie State ranked No. 8 in the country for emissions, it is still a stark reminder that coal plants like Prairie State are out of step with Illinois’ clean energy goals, a major contributor to rapidly worsening climate change and a significant threat to our health.
The Clean and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), passed in 2021, requires Prairie State to reduce its emissions by 45% by 2038 and close by 2045. That can’t come a moment too soon. Already, communities are paying well above market price for energy from Prairie State as the economics of coal get worse and worse. And these communities will have no way out if they extend their contracts due to restrictions that keep municipalities on the hook regardless of how expensive it is.
On the federal level, new rules announced by the Biden Administration in April will reduce pollution from plants like Prairie State by requiring existing coal-fired plants to cut or capture 90% of their carbon pollution by 2032 or shut down by 2039. This rule also applies to new gas-powered plants, but does not cover existing natural gas power plants, currently the largest source of carbon pollution in the electricity sector.
Prairie State has presented no clear plan on how it will comply with this new rule and reduce its emissions accordingly in the next eight years. Prairie State management has been soliciting bids to build carbon capture equipment, which, if effective, would keep the plan in compliance with state law. But even IMEA officials acknowledge that no power provider has been able to sequester enough carbon dioxide to comply with the new Biden rule in a cost-effective way. At the same time, the current operating costs of Prairie State already equal what it would cost to replace the plant’s energy output with new wind farms.
Across the country, coal is on the decline. At the same time, the amount of clean energy on the national grid is going up, and the cost of renewables is going down. The share of U.S. electricity produced by coal was surpassed by renewable energy sources in 2022. Seven of the top 50 polluters from 2022 have announced plans to close between 2024 and 2038.
It is bad enough that Illinois communities with IMEA contracts are already stuck relying on dirty power through 2035. It would be absurd for them to extend those contracts through 2050 and double down on coal at a time when it has never been easier or cheaper to leave coal behind. Twenty municipalities have already committed to extending their contracts with IMEA, but some of the largest, including Naperville, Winnetka, and St. Charles, are still debating the extension. They have until April 30, 2025, to decide. Municipalities should reject IMEA’s offer to extend contracts, move away from coal and take advantage of the increasing amount of renewable energy on the grid.
There is no excuse for continuing to allow a handful of big polluters to do so much harm. By transitioning away from dirty coal power and getting Illinois to 100% renewable energy as quickly as possible, we can ensure the well-being of both people and the planet for generations to come.
• Theo Rosen is a Chicago-based associate with Environment America, a federation of state-based environmental advocacy organizations.