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Closing the Gap to Protect Illinois Wetlands

Expert BlogIllinoisBecky Hammer

A bill to protect Illinois’ remaining wetlands is moving forward in the state legislature, seeking to close a regulatory gap created by the Supreme Court.

Farm-to-Glass Supports Organic Farming

Expert BlogWashington, D.C., Ohio, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Michigan, Maine, CaliforniaAllison Johnson

Cheers! NRDC and our partners toasted a good cause on Capitol Hill: growing organic!

General Iron Looms Over the Return to School

Expert BlogChicagoGina Ramirez

As we gear up for another school year, there's a constant worry hanging over us: the possibility of the General Iron facility starting up just across the street from George Washington High School. 

Winter Storm Elliott Report Highlights the Risk of Natural Gas Failures

Expert BlogUnited States, East, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, TexasDana Ammann
PJM’s report on Winter Storm Elliott found that gas generators were responsible for 70 percent of forced outages during December 2022. Climate change will only intensify future severe weather. 

A Tale of Two Capacity Auctions—and Still Too Much Coal

Expert BlogMidwest, IllinoisMeghan Hassett
A capacity price spike impacted Illinoisans’ electricity bills last June. What has MISO done to prevent it from happening again? It’s a mixed bag—with too many fossil fuels inside.

Rate Increases and Blackouts: Duke Energy’s Strategy for 2023

Expert BlogNorth Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, EastLuis Martinez
Duke failed to keep the lights on last December, but it is now pursuing enormous rate increases of more than 30 percent to help pay for fossil fuels and huge executive salary raises.

One Year Since Court Restored ESA Protections for Wolves

Expert BlogCalifornia, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, WisconsinDr. Jennifer Sherry
Without these protections, wolf recovery could be stopped dead in its tracks—or even reversed—as we have seen happen when states with authority over wolf management work to cut populations down through aggressive measures.

Why Illinois Has a Power Supply Crunch, and How to Fix It

Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey
Market forces have driven a lot of coal power offline in the past decade—but regulatory barriers and outdated thinking by some utilities has led to missed opportunities to expand affordable clean energy resources.

Pristine Prairie, Home to Endangered Bee, May Be Destroyed

Expert BlogIllinoisLucas Rhoads

An airport expansion threatens to wipe out a population of the once-common, now endangered, rusty patched bumble bee. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's failure to protect the bee's habitat is partly to blame.