Illinois EPA releases ‘Comprehensive Climate Action Plan’ to reach ‘net zero’ emissions

A new report says Illinois has made significant strides in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants such as Illinois has made substantial progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in recent years, but it is not yet on track to meet its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. That’s the conclusion of a new Comprehensive Climate Action Plan released this month by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. To reach that goal, the report suggests Illinois will need to enact significant changes across virtually every sector of its economy, including transportation, building construction, manufacturing, agriculture and waste disposal.

“Illinoisans are seeing the extreme heat and storms climate change has brought to our doorstep this summer,” Illinois Climate Advisor JC Kibbey said in a statement announcing the report. “We are feeling the high, unpredictable costs of fossil fuel every time we reach for our wallets. This plan shows the great progress we’ve made on climate and clean energy — and how much more we have left to do.” In 2024, the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency awarded Illinois a $430 million grant to implement programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That money came through the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, which was an element of then-President Joe Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act. The Comprehensive Climate Action Plan is intended to provide a roadmap for Illinois to reduce its carbon footprint to as little as 72% below its 2005 baseline.

It also outlines two scenarios under which Illinois could virtually eliminate all carbon emissions. Those would involve a combination of incentive packages and regulatory changes that would affect nearly every sector of the economy. But doing so, the report suggests, would produce $21 billion a year in net economic benefits.

According to the document, Illinois cut its net greenhouse gas emissions by 32% from 2005 to 2023. That was due mainly to a shift in electric generation toward natural gas and renewable sources such as wind and solar power. The transportation industry also saw significant reductions due to improved fuel efficiency standards and the gradual adoption of electric vehicles.

Those trends are expected to continue into the future as long, the report states, as Illinois adheres to its current policies such as the 2021 Climate and Equitable Job…