Coffeen Power Station in Montgomery County, south of Springfield, is one of the five power plants obtained by Dynegy subsidiary Illinois Power Holdings earlier this month. Photo courtesy of Dynegy One of Illinois’ largest energy companies has given away five power plants, following a decision by state regulators to give the new owners a temporary […]
Prairie Rivers Network
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Coal ash ruling could mean new restrictions
A federal judge has ordered the United States Environmental Protection Agency to pass regulations on disposal of coal ash, which could have far-reaching implications for Illinois’ rebounding coal industry and coal plant operators like Springfield City Water, Light and Power. The Illinois-based environmental group Prairie Rivers Network participated in the lawsuit that prompted the decision […]
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Subsidizing coal costs Illinois budget $20 million
Coal companies have extracted about $3 billion worth of coal from Illinois so far this year. So why is the state of Illinois giving them subsidies? That’s the question asked by an alliance of environmental groups in a report released June 27. Titled “The Impact of Coal on the Illinois State Budget,” the report says […]
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Manure rules
Large livestock farms would have to pay for pollution permits under legislation headed to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk. The Clean Water Funding Fairness Act, which passed through the Illinois House and Senate on May 22, would force factory farms, commonly referred to as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), to pay an annual fee for permits […]
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Coal curriculum
Illinois is a coal state – the eighth-largest producer of coal in the nation at 33.2 million tons in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The Illinois Geological Survey estimates Illinois coal holds more energy potential than all of Saudi Arabia’s and Kuwait’s oil reserves combined. It makes sense that the state would […]
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Coal ash lawsuit could increase CWLP costs
An Illinois environmental group is one of 11 plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit seeking a new evaluation of coal ash – a controversial byproduct of coal energy that they say should be considered a hazardous waste. If the lawsuit prevails, it could significantly increase costs for Springfield City Water, Light and Power. Champaign-based Prairie Rivers […]
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Arsenic, lots of it, found around CWLP%u2008ash ponds
Groundwater surrounding City Water, Light and Power’s coal ash ponds, located across the street from Lake Springfield, contains as much as nine times the amount of arsenic considered safe in drinking water, according to environmental testing performed in spring of 2010. Arsenic is a semi-metal that’s been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs and […]
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Coal ash disposal draws ire
Strolling along Macoupin Creek in October, environmentalists observed in the middle of the day flowing water the color of a moonless night sky. While the samples they grabbed weren’t analyzed at a lab, Mary Ellen DeClue, of Citizens Against Longwall Mining, is convinced she knows why the water was black – it had been contaminated […]
