Midwest

Illinois

Illinois passed the historic Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2021, putting the state on the pathway to 100% clean energy by 2050. By 2024, Illinois cut emissions 20% from 2005 levels, but meeting the state’s 2025 climate target would require an additional 39% cut from present-day emissions. The state is a key hub for national crude oil and natural gas distribution, although in-state electricity generation from coal is declining in response to stricter emissions regulations and economic pressures.
GHG Reduction Targets
All targets relative to 2005 levels
2025
26%
Governor
J.B. Pritzker (Democrat)
House Party
Democratic Supermajority
Senate Party
Democratic Supermajority
Legislative session
1/16/24 - 5/24/24
US Climate Alliance Status
Member

25

Policies Enacted or In Progress
across 6 policy areas

37

Policy Opportunities
across 7 policy areas

Midwest

12 states
This map shows the occurrence of climate policies passed at the state-level. Higher numbers represent more climate policies enacted.

Progress by Policy Area

  • Enacted
  • In-progress
  • Partially Enacted
  • Not Enacted
Glossary of Terms
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections in Illinois

Created in partnership with
Filters
Status Policy Policy Area Policy Category YR Enacted
Enacted
Empty column

100% zero-carbon power by 2045 | 100% clean energy by 2050

Establishing Policies
Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets 2021
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electricity greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets are set by a state to limit GHG emissions in the electricity sector. These targets aim to reduce emissions by different amounts over time, often expressed as percentage relative to a baseline year.

Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets
Enacted
Empty column

Renewable Energy Access Plan

Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets 2024
Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
5/5
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Partially Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
not-enacted
5/11
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Enacted
Empty column

The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
6/6
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation
Enacted
Empty column

Illinois has an active community choice aggregation program.

Establishing Policies
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation 2009
Enacted
Empty column

The Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act directed the Illinois Commerce Commision (ICC) to establish storage procurement targets for all utilities serving >200,000 customers by 2022. However, the ICC decided not to establish any procurement targets, stating "establishing targets does not appear to be a reasonable policy to pursue at this state in the process" in its 2022 report to the Governor and General Assembly.

Establishing Policies
Electricity
Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage 2021
Enacted
Empty column

Illinois received a B grade from Freeing the Grid.

Electricity
Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Coal phaseouts establish a target year by which states must end coal-fired power generation.

Electricity
Coal Retirement
Not Enacted
Empty column

Coal securitization is a financing tool that allows utility companies to refinance debt they issued to build coal plants and close the facilities early without taking a financial hit or passing costs on to ratepayers.

Electricity
Coal Retirement

The State Climate Policy Dashboard tracks only passed policies and does not include bills currently proposed in legislative sessions. The website is intended to illustrate the current status of policies for each state, as well as key resources and model states for each policy.

Much of the information contained in this database is derived from the public domain, with links to resources provided. The information provided is made available solely for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Click here for full Terms of Use.

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