Background
The largest industrial source of the air pollution that plagues our skies in Chicago is old, dirty coal- fired power plants. Instead of cleaning up these power plants and protecting public health, utilities are exploiting a loophole in the law which allows them to bypass modern pollution standards. The utilities are using their influence to protect investments in their existing plants and oppose any effort to shift towards cleaner sources of generating power for Illinois.
Pollution from these old, dirty coal- fired power plants is shortening the lives of many Illinoisans and putting even more of us in the hospital and at risk.
Coal-fired
power plants are to blame for much of our air pollution:
• 25 percent of smog- forming NOx. Smog triggers at least 33,000 asthma
attacks in Illinois each year.
• 66 percent of soot- forming SO2. Soot from power plants shortens the lives of 1,700 Illinoisans each year.
• 35 percent of mercury pollution. Toxic mercury contaminates the fish we eat.
• 40 percent of carbon dioxide pollution. Carbon dioxide contributes to global warming.