Hundreds of Illinoisans Urge Lawmakers to Enact Commonsense Guardrails to Protect Our Water, Energy, and Communities

SPRINGFIELD – Today, over 200 concerned Illinoisans gathered at the Illinois State Capitol for the Illinois Environmental Council’s annual Environmental Lobby Day to meet with their legislators about pressing environmental legislative priorities. Advocates, faith leaders, and youth from across the state rallied in support of three major bills: the POWER Act (SB4016/HB5513), which protects our water, energy, ratepayers, and frontline communities from data center impacts; the Wetlands Protection Act (SB2401/HB3596), which safeguards Illinois’ remaining wetlands; and the Polystyrene Foam Foodware Ban (SB1531), which phases out toxic plastic foam foodware.

“This is one of the most rewarding days of the year, when hundreds of passionate Illinoisans travel from every corner of the state to join us in Springfield to speak with their representatives about the most pressing environmental issues at hand,” said Jen Walling, CEO of the Illinois Environmental Council. “The bills we’re fighting for today represent big but necessary fights – we’re up against Tech Giants like Meta and Google, developer bulldozers threatening Illinois’ remaining wetlands, and a federal administration that is hell-bent on giving a free pass to these corporate polluters. Constituents’ voices at Lobby Day remind lawmakers what to focus on: protecting Illinoisans and protecting our environment.”

Throughout the event, community leaders and state legislators underscored the urgency of enacting meaningful environmental policies.

"With the POWER Act, Illinois is showing the rest of the country that advancements in technology don’t have to come at the expense of consumers, our resources, or environmental justice," said Majority Leader Robyn Gabel. "Let’s prove once again that Illinois leads and pass the POWER Act to protect our water, energy, ratepayers, and frontline communities from data center impacts."

“I can think of no greater threat to our air, water, and communities than data centers – the rapid development of these massive energy- and water-intensive facilities poses significant threats to environmental justice communities like mine in Waukegan,” said Mayra Mendez, Executive Director of Clean Power Lake County. “We have the opportunity to be proactive and protect our communities before these facilities cause harm – that’s what the POWER Act delivers.”

The POWER Act (SB4016/HB5513) ensures data centers pay their fair share for their massive energy demand, requires data centers to bring renewable energy to power their facilities so that our grid stays reliable and we stay on track to meet our clean energy goals, and safeguards environmental justice communities so that they aren’t disproportionately impacted. It also establishes sustainable water use, transparent reporting, and consumer protection requirements to ensure Illinois’ water resources are used responsibly.

“We know that increased water use from data centers could lead to strain on local water systems and increased prices for ratepayers,” said Andrea Densham, Director of Regional Government Affairs with the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “The POWER Act will provide a critical framework and guardrails that ensure managed water use, transparency, accountability, and protection for communities and ecosystems from preventable pollution or water overuse.”

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The Wetlands Protection Act also safeguards Illinois’ water resources. State law does not currently include a comprehensive program to safeguard wetlands that are no longer federally protected. In their May 2023 Sackett v. EPA decision, the Supreme Court left protections up to the states, prompting Senator Ellman and Representative Moeller to introduce SB3669 and HB5386.

“Our work to protect and defend Illinois’ endangered wetlands grows more important by the day. Since Trump’s Supreme Court gutted the federal Clean Water Act in 2023, our wetlands have been left without critical legal safeguards. We are all at greater risk because of this ruling,” said Representative Anna Moeller. “Clean drinking water, flood protection, and the myriad other benefits of wetlands are not negotiable – they're a necessity for all of us.”

A surprising 90% of Illinois wetlands have already been destroyed. As climate change continues increasing extreme weather, we rely more on climate-resilient landscapes like wetlands.

“Wetlands act as nature’s sponges, providing important flood control, preserving endangered habitats, and protecting clean drinking water. The current federal administration and the Supreme Court’s actions put all of that at risk,” said David McEllis, Illinois Legislative Director with the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “When the federal government steps back, Illinois has to step up. The Wetlands Protection Act does just that.”

Advocates also highlighted the need for clean water policy as they spoke with legislators about the harms of toxic polystyrene foam foodware containers, which make up the worst of the worst single-use plastic pollution. The Polystyrene Foam Foodware Ban (SB1531) would end the production and distribution of these types of plastic by the year 2030 in Illinois.

“The more we learn about polystyrene foam foodware, like takeout containers and cups, the more troubling it is. Most people don’t know that food and beverages served in plastic foam come with added, hazardous ingredients you didn’t order,” said State Representative Gong-Gershowitz. “It’s time to pass the Polystyrene Foam Foodware Ban and move Illinois yet another step forward in phasing out the toxic styrofoam that’s been piling up in our environment and impacting public health.”

Charlie Johnson, a youth advocate with the Coalition for Plastic Reduction, spoke to the urgent need for a Polystyrene Foam Foodware Ban, as well, noting, “I’m 12 years old. That means almost all of the polystyrene foam created decades before I was even born will still be around by the time I am all grown up. That’s not right. It’s not fair to ask me and all of the other kids across Illinois to inherit millions of pounds of toxic plastic foam we had no hand in creating.

The plastic industry is a lifeline for the oil and gas industry, as every piece of plastic starts as a fossil fuel.

“We believe the climate crisis is a spiritual crisis, rooted in disconnection from one another, our traditions, and the Earth, and that is why we are behind SB1531 and the banning of styrofoam containers,” said Reverend Nic Faison, Illinois Outreach Director at Faith in Place Action Fund and a member of the Coalition for Plastic Reduction. “We can no longer accept that corporations, Big Oil, and fossil fuel pushers have worked so hard to disrupt our relationship with the environment and ourselves so much so that we have been conditioned to only see a world where single-use plastics are treated as a necessity rather than the plague that it is in our bodies and communities. This stops today.”

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