Illinois legislators skip on several environmental bills

Some big environmental bills — dealing with transit, clean energy, plastics and more — fizzled last week in Springfield. Advocates say they're ready to pick up the pieces.

Why it matters: State environmental protections have grown in importance for climate advocates as the Trump administration rolls back regulations at the federal level.

Biggest losses

Public transit: The General Assembly's failure to reform and increase funding for the Regional Transportation Authority dealt a blow to environmentalists, according to Hannah Flath from the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC).

• "Transportation is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Illinois, more than the power and industrial sectors combined," she tells Axios.
• The IEC will push for passage before 2026 — COVID-19 funding is expected to run out this fall — but Flath predicts the delay will cause preemptive transit layoffs this summer.

Plastics and foam bans: Efforts to phase out foam foodware and single-use plastic lost amid opposition from the American Chemistry Council and "some labor groups concerned about the trickle-down effects," IEC's Tucker Barry tells Axios.

Power grid: A bill to add more wind, solar and battery-stored power to the grid died in the final days of the session after business interests decried it as too expensive and burdensome.

The intrigue: The package also pushed for more transparency about data centers' energy usage and required new centers to "bring your own clean energy"(or B.Y.O.N.C.E.).

The pushback: "New facilities ... would be forced to build or fund new renewable projects which will substantially increase the time to build and costs," opponents, including the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, wrote to Gov. JB Pritzker.

What's next: State Sen. Bill Cunningham, who represents the Southwest Side and Southwest suburbs, tells the Sun-Times he wants to revamp the bill for the fall veto session, noting, "we are very close to an agreement."

• Facebook parent Meta just inked a 20-year deal with a nuclear facility in downstate Clinton to power data centers and "continue advancing our AI ambitions," Meta's Urvi Parekh said in a statement.

Reality check: Data center demand and delayed clean energy connections to the grid are expected to drive up Illinois energy bills starting this month, per a report commissioned by the environmental groups.

Yes, but: Barry noted some environmental wins, including a phaseout of harmful PFAs in products like dental floss and cosmetics, with future plans to expand to cleaning products and cookware.

• Plus, a bill was passed allowing Native American tribes in Illinois to take over land stewardship agreements in conservation areas.