Clean Jobs Coalition Calls For Updated Renewable Energy Laws In Illinois

On February 4, 2015, the newly formed Illinois
Clean Jobs Coalition and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for an update of the
renewable portfolio standard (RPS) that was put into place in 2007.
The Coalition proposed a plan to create as many as 32,000 jobs annually by
improving Illinois’ energy economy. These improvements would be made through:
(1) changes to the RPS to increase the use of renewable sources to create 35
percent of power by 2030; (2) improved energy efficiency standards so that
overall electricity use declines by 20 percent by 2025; and (3) by encouraging
market-based strategies to increase the production of cleaner energy while
reducing carbon pollution.