$8.6 Million for Peoria-Area Projects and Edwards Coal Plant 2022 Retirement Announced in Proposed Settlement

ILLINOIS - A proposed settlement for the closure of the Edwards coal plant outside of Peoria, Illinois by the end of 2022 was announced today by environmental and health organizations and the plant’s owner. The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Respiratory Health Association and the plant’s operator, Illinois Power Resources Generating, are seeking approval of the proposed settlement of a Clean Air Act lawsuit brought by environmental and health groups in 2013.

If approved and entered by the Court, the proposed settlement would also provide millions of dollars in funding for projects that benefit Peoria-area communities. The proposed settlement is still subject to review and comment by the Department of Justice and USEPA, and review, approval, and entry by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois that could make a decision in the comings months.

The following is a statement from J.C. Kibbey, Natural Resources Defense Council’s Illinois clean energy advocate:

“This agreement shows how the energy transition already underway across the nation should move forward, ensuring cleaner air, better public health, and financial resources for the community and workers impacted by the closing. The proposed settlement would bring millions of dollars to the Peoria area to support a transition, but Illinois urgently needs a statewide solution. The Clean Energy Jobs Act would establish similar support for communities throughout the state dealing with the ongoing shift away from coal.”