Illinois’ top climate polluter is back in the national top ten

We recently released analysis highlighting data from 2022 that showed that the Prairie State coal plant in Marissa, IL was the worst climate polluter in Illinois and the 12th worst in the country (down from 2021, when Prairie State was ranked number eight). Alongside the analysis, we put out an opinion piece in the Daily Herald urging Chicagoland communities not to extend their contracts with the coal plant through 2050.

The EPA just released its 2023 data, and Prairie State has jumped back up to number seven in the nation for greenhouse gas emissions.

One reason Prairie State is higher on the 2023 list is because other big polluters’ emissions fell significantly between 2022 and 2023. The Monroe power plant in Michigan, for instance, dropped from number two to number eight and had 3.5 million metric tons fewer emissions in 2023 than in 2022.

But Prairie State is also higher on the list because its own greenhouse gas emissions went up. In 2023, Prairie State released 11.45 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses, nearly half a million metric tons more than it released in 2022.

This data provides further evidence that Illinois communities cannot afford to extend their reliance on Prairie State’s dirty power for an additional 15 years. It is past time to stop relying on dirty power from coal plants that pollute our air, threaten our health, and intensify the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.