About Us

PowerIllinois.org is sponsored by the Illinois Energy Association, whose members include investor-owned electric utilities and independent energy producers that supply electricity to millions of homes and businesses throughout our state.

The Illinois Energy Association and its members support ongoing emissions reductions at coal-fired power plants on a national level through implementation of such regulations as the federal Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR). The Illinois energy industry supports air quality regulations that:

• are applied nationwide
• are phased in to provide time to test currently unproven technologies
• recognize that existing coal-fired power plants are critical to maintaining a reliable, affordable supply of electricity
• allow mercury controls to be integrated into other treatment technologies required by the Clean Air Act.

The Illinois energy industry strongly opposes the Governor’s recent mercury emissions proposal, particularly when a realistic and feasible solution to reduce emissions in Illinois by 80 percent already exists in CAMR.  The state proposal will force energy producers to comply with regulations that are stricter, in a more accelerated timeframe, despite the limitations of currently available emissions-control technology.

Without achieving meaningful, additional environmental benefits, the state proposal threatens:

• electricity costs for Illinois businesses and consumers
• reliability of the power supply
• competitiveness of Illinois power producers relative to those in other states
• state jobs.

While we are fully prepared to implement the federal rule regulating mercury emissions, Illinois’ energy companies will be active and constructive participants in the upcoming rulemaking process in Illinois regarding mercury emissions from our state’s power plants.

Should you have any questions or comments about PowerIllinois.org, please do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail at info@powerillinois.org.