Today, the City of Chicago formally announced its Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) aggregation deal, officially moving one of the nation’s largest cities away from coal-fired power. The City of Chicago developed the city’s new electricity mix based on the authority of a voter-approved referendum last fall. The new power supply includes Illinois wind power.
An analysis by the Illinois Institute of Technology shows that the switch from coal power will substantially reduce air pollution – by the equivalent of taking 100,000 cars off the road.
Chicago is proving that moving beyond coal can not only reduce our electric bills but also deliver much healthier air for all of us to breathe. Chicago’s new, cleaner power supply will reduce asthma attacks and other health problems, help fight climate change, and lower residents’ electric bills.
Across the state, more than 600 Illinois municipalities are reducing electricity costs through community aggregation, and many are also looking for ways to use cleaner sources of power. Chicago’s inclusion of local wind energy in their power supply is an example for other aggregated communities to follow and build upon. Today’s news is an important first step toward reducing dependence on fossil fuels and protecting clean air and clean water in our state.
We applaud Mayor Emanuel for his leadership in moving Chicago beyond coal to clean energy and encourage other communities to use their aggregated buying power to support clean energy and a better environment.
Illinois Sierra Club Blog 