The Clean Energy Jobs Act

Carbon-free power

100% Carbon-Free Power by 2030

Protecting Public Health, Workers, and Our Children’s Future

Carbon-Free Power Sector

Fossil fuel-burning power plants heat up our planet and harm our health. They disproportionately hurt people of color and people with low incomes.

The Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) would transition Illinois’ power sector completely away from fossil fuels by 2030, support workers and communities impacted by the decline of coal, and significantly expand clean energy generation and good-paying clean energy jobs in our state.

Extreme heat and flooding have already cost Illinois more than $6.5 billion and hundreds of lives in recent decades. If no action is taken, by 2050, climate change will cause nearly 1200 deaths and more than $6 billion in damage each year in the Midwest.

Leading the Way on Climate Change

CEJA would make Illinois a national leader on climate change at a time when state leadership is badly needed. The federal government under President Trump is gutting environmental protections, yet scientists tell us we must significantly reduce carbon pollution in the next ten years to avoid catastrophic climate change.

CEJA directs the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to administer a declining cap on pollution from the power sector, prioritizing environmental justice communities for pollution reduction. The cap would reach zero in 2030. A small fee on air pollution from power plants will support workers and communities impacted by Illinois’ transition away from fossil fuels

Improving Public Health for All Illinoisans

CEJA will save lives by reducing pollution first from plants that are creating disproportionate health impacts on environmental justice communities and minority communities. People of color and people with low incomes are disproportionately harmed by these plants: 40% of people who live near a coal-fired power plant in Illinois are people of color and 38% have low incomes.

Responding to the Ongoing Decline of Coal

More than half of Illinois’ coal plants have closed since 2009, often with little notice, leaving workers and communities high and dry. CEJA provides for a planned and just transition away from fossil fuels that will allow workers and communities time and support to figure out what’s next, and make polluters pay to clean up their messes.

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