For the Fisk plant in Pilsen, that's three months ahead of schedule, while Crawford in Little Village will close more than two years ahead. more ›

Now that Midwest Generation—owner of the Fisk and Crawford coal-powered electric generation plants—agreed to shut down the two plants in 2012 and 2014, respectively, under a deal brokered by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, there's a possibility the company may abandon Illinois altogether. more ›

Chalk another victory for Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He managed to negotiate a deal with Midwest Generation (owner of the coal-fired Fisk and Crawford Electrical generation plants) and the Chicago Clean Power Coalition where Midwest Generation will close their plants well ahead of a 2018 deadline to either clean up the plants or shut them down. more ›

Lead. In the tiniest amounts, studies show it damages brain development in children. That's why we have taken it out of our gasoline and paint. And it is why the news from Pilsen particularly bad. Monitoring data shows dangerous levels of lead in the air around Perez elementary school at or above federal limits with spikes more than 10 times higher. The Trib’s crack environmental reporter Michael Hawthorne exposed the numbers that “alarm even veteran investigators” in a front-page story which could have significant political impact both locally and nationally. Officials are unsure of exactly where the lead is coming from, but a quick look around the neighborhood points to two likely cluprits. The school is just blocks from the H. Kramer and Co. smelter and the Fisk Generating Station (one of two ancient coal plants in Chicago owned by Midwest Generation, LLC); both have been cited by the US EPA for significant Clean Air Act violations in recent years. more ›

According to the study the plants cause more than $127 million in 2010 dollars in health damages yearly, based on 2005 emissions. Particulate matter released into the air causes cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, heart attacks, premature death and more. A spokeswoman for Midwest Generation told WBEZ that there is no tie between the plants and public health, putting the blame on traffic instead. The ELPC supports the Chicago Clean Power ordinance, which would require Midwest Generation to reduce PM pollution within 4 years. Howard Learner, executive director for the ELPC said via press release “Soot and smog from Chicago coal plants is making us sick and costing us millions. Cleaning them up is the right thing to do for our health, our environment and our economy.” more ›

Three of the most recognizable features on the skyline west of the Loop are the smokestacks from the Fisk and Crawford Generating stations; ancient coal-fired power plants that most agree are blight on the City’s green image. They represent the Chicago's biggest carbon pollution sources and a health threat to this big burgh's populace. But even as a succession of loud voices have called for the plants to clean up or close down, these Teflon polluters remain operating in the places they were built a century ago. What gives them such staying power when similar facilities have been eliminated in so many other American cities? This week the Chicago News Cooperative points a finger at the twin pillars of the city’s political scene---money and the Mayor---but notes out that change could be coming. more ›

The EPA has put Chicago and it's surrounding metro area on notice: clean up your air in five years or else.

The agency on Monday released a list of counties and urban areas that violate the revised standard. Six northeastern Illinois counties are on the list—Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will. Also cited are two fast-growing townships in Grundy County and one in Kendall, because pollution there is believed to contribute to the wider problem.