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
Not Enacted
Empty column

Climate action plans are documents that clearly outline the policies and strategies that the state intends to implement to meet its emissions reduction targets. Draft plans are often published first, and after a period of public comments and revisions, a final plan is released.

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance
Not Enacted
Empty column

Climate advisory bodies often write or advise on a state's climate plan, and make non-binding recommendations on climate policy design and implementation. The bodies can consist of all non-government members, or be a mix of government and non-government members.

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance
Not Enacted
Empty column

Climate bureaucracy consists of dedicated climate offices and staff, interagency working groups, task forces, and other bodies made up of government staff. These bodies are often responsible for writing a state's climate plan and implementing the policies and strategies identified to meet its climate targets.

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance
Enacted
Empty column

26-28% by 2025

Relative to 2005 levels

Establishing Policies
Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance 2019
Not Enacted
Empty column

State greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventories report sector-based GHG emissions in a given year, and often provide historical data on emissions over time. Inventories may also include data on co-pollutant emissions.

Climate Governance and Equity
Climate Governance
Not Enacted
Empty column

Cumulative impact assessments determine the health and environmental impacts of renewing or granting a permit for certain pollution-generating facilities in environmental justice communities. Increased pollution burdens in communities may result in the permit application being denied.

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity
Enacted
Empty column

Commission on Environmental Justice

Justice40 Oversight Committee

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2011
Enacted
Empty column

Illinois EPA – EJ Coordinator

Illinois EPA – Office of Environmental Justice

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity
Enacted
Empty column

"Environmental justice communities" are the 25% highest scoring census block groups based on factors including environmental hazards, income, race, health, and other environmental and socioeconomic criteria used by the U.S. EPA's EJScreen; communities are also able to request self-designation as an EJ community.

Establishing Policies
Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2017
Enacted
Empty column

At least 25% of Illinois Solar for All funding must be allocated to projects within EJ communities.

At least 45% of transportation electrification funding must be directed to environmental justice communities.

Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2017
Enacted
Empty column

Illinois EPA EJ Start

Establishing Policies
Climate Governance and Equity
Environmental Justice and Equity 2022
Enacted
Empty column

Energy Transition Workforce Commission

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition 2021
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition funds support initiatives and investments aimed at facilitating the equitable transition of workers and communities affected by shifts in industries or policies that transition from fossil fuels.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition offices and staff assist workers and communities transitioning away from fossil fuel extraction and use, typically through retraining programs and support with relocation and economic diversification. Offices and staff also coordinate with other state agencies to effectively design policy to achieve a just transition.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Not Enacted
Empty column

Just transition plans are documents that outline policies and recommendations aimed at supporting communities, workers, and industries affected by the transition away from fossil fuels. The plans often focus on workforce development and retraining, job creation, and economic diversification.

Climate Governance and Equity
Just Transition
Enacted
Empty column

Illinois Finance Authority Climate Bank and the Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund

Cross-Sector
Climate Finance 2021
Not Enacted
Empty column

Carbon pollution pricing establishes a pollution fee or cap-and-trade program on the greenhouse gas emissions associated with each sector/source of emissions within the state. Programs typically cover the electricity, buildings, transportation, and/or industrial sectors.

Cross-Sector
Carbon Valuation
Not Enacted
Empty column

The social cost of carbon is a monetary estimate of the damage of each ton of greenhouse gases emitted. The social cost of carbon is used to quantify and monetize climate damages, representing the net economic cost of climate pollution to society.

Cross-Sector
Carbon Valuation
Enacted
Empty column

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

Establishing Policies
Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets 2021
Enacted
Empty column

Renewable Energy Access Plan

Electricity
Energy Plans and Targets 2024
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

Illinois has an active community choice aggregation program.

Establishing Policies
Electricity
Clean Energy Generation 2009
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

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
Enacted
Empty column

The statewide energy code for commercial building construction is 2021 IECC with amendments.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes 2023
Enacted
Empty column

The statewide energy code for residential construction is 2021 IECC with amendments.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes 2023
Enacted
Empty column

The Illinois Capital Development Board approved the Illinois Residential Stretch Code on April 9, 2024. The Code will be available for municipalities to adopt by October 31, 2024.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Codes 2024
Not Enacted
Empty column

Appliance standards set minimum energy and water conservation requirements for appliances and equipment.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards
Not Enacted
Empty column

Building performance standards establish energy and/or greenhouse gas performance targets for existing buildings in a state. These targets increase in stringency over time, leading to efficiency improvements in buildings to conserve energy and reduce emissions.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards
Not Enacted
Empty column

Clean heat standards establish a performance standard requiring heat providers to deliver a gradually-increasing percentage of low-emission heating services to customers.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Standards
Enacted
Empty column

Electric utilities are required to achieve cumulative persisting annual savings of 21.5% by 2030 for utilities serving more than 3,000,000 retail customers, and cumulative persisting annual savings of 16% by 2030 for utilities serving between 500,000 and 3,000,000 retail customers. Savings are relative to average consumption over 2014-2016.

Gas utilities are required to achieve annual energy savings of 1.5% each year.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency 2021
Enacted
Empty column

Illinois has enacted commercial PACE-enabling legislation and has active programs.

Establishing Policies
Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency 2017
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
not-enacted
enacted
3/4
Buildings and Efficiency
Building Efficiency
Not Enacted
Empty column

All-electric buildings policies require new buildings to be constructed with all-electric heating, cooling, and cooking systems to transition away from fossil-fuel use in buildings.

Buildings and Efficiency
Building Electrification
Enacted
Empty column

The Illinois Electric Vehicle (EV) Rebate Program offers rebates for new and used EVs: up to $4,000 for all-electric vehicles and $1,500 for all-electric motorcycles.

Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles 2021
Not Enacted
Empty column

Under Section 177 of the Clean Air Act, California has the unique authority to establish vehicle emission standards more stringent than federal standards, and other states may adopt California’s standards. These Low-Emission Vehicle (LEV) standards control tailpipe emissions of criteria pollutants and greenhouse gasses from light-duty vehicles.

Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles
Not Enacted
Empty column

Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandates, also known as "clean car standards," require automakers to produce and sell a certain percentage of zero-emission light-duty vehicles each model year based on total new vehicle sales. The most stringent ZEV mandates require 100% of new vehicle sales to be electric by 2035 and are known as "Advanced Clean Cars II".

Transportation
Light-Duty Vehicles
Not Enacted
Empty column

Low NOx Omnibus Rules establish stringent tailpipe emission standards for heavy duty vehicles, updated testing procedures, and technology-neutral compliance mechanisms to reduce nitrous oxide (NOx) pollution. The regulation must be adopted first by California, and other states may adopt the regulation under the federal Clean Air Act.

Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Not Enacted
Empty column

Medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) zero-emission vehicle mandates, also known as "Advanced Clean Trucks", require automakers to produce and sell a certain number of zero-emission MHD vehicles to fulfill a quota based on a percentage of total sales in states.

Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Not Enacted
Empty column

Medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) electric vehicle rebates consist of programs and policies that offer rebates to make MHD electric vehicles more affordable to increase their adoption in a state.

Transportation
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electric bus procurement targets require that a certain percentage or number of school buses and/or transit buses purchased or leased by the state, transit authorities, and/or school districts must be electric or zero-emissions.

Transportation
Lead by Example
Enacted
Empty column

Requires the state to develop and implement a program for the procurement of zero emissions vehicles for the state fleet

Establishing Policies
Transportation
Lead by Example 2021
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure rebates offer rebates to make the purchase and/or installation costs of EV charging infrastructure more affordable.

Transportation
EV Charging Infrastructure
Enacted
Empty column

Requires that new residential buildings with designated parking spaces have EV charging capabilities; each residential unit with a designated parking spot is required to have at least one parking space that is EV-capable.

Establishing Policies
Transportation
EV Charging Infrastructure 2023
Not Enacted
Empty column

Electric vehicle (EV) and EV charging infrastructure plans are documents that provide a framework to guide the development, coordination, and adoption of EVs and EV charging infrastructure.

Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets
Not Enacted
Empty column

A low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) is a market-based mechanism to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels and account for the fuel's life cycle greenhouse gas emissions.

Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets
Not Enacted
Empty column

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

Transportation
Transportation Plans and Targets
Enacted
Empty column

Illinois is ranked 15th out of 50 in the 2022 Bicycle Friendly State rankings by the League of American Bicyclists.

Policy Components
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
enacted
5/5
Transportation
Public and Active Transportation
Not Enacted
Empty column

Buy clean requirements mandate or incentivize the use of low-carbon construction materials, such as concrete and steel, in public projects to address embodied carbon.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Industrial Decarbonization
Not Enacted
Empty column

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) regulations include phasedown commitments, rulemakings, disclosure requirements, bans, or other measures that reduce HFC usage and emissions.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
F-gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) regulations include phasedown commitments, reporting requirements, bans, or other measures that reduce SF6 usage and emissions.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
F-gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Fracking bans prohibit the practice of hydraulic fracking for the production of oil and/or natural gas by a certain year. Legislation often requires an environmental agency or department to promulgate regulations.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Oil and Gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Oil and gas methane regulations include phasedown commitments, reporting requirements, leak detection and repair, or other measures that reduce methane emissions from oil and gas production.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Oil and Gas Regulations
Not Enacted
Empty column

Food waste bans and targets include policies that prohibit certain entities that generate specified amounts of food waste (typically commercial businesses and larger institutions) from sending this waste to landfills. Targets aim to reduce total food waste by a certain percentage each target year.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Waste Management
Not Enacted
Empty column

Landfill methane regulations include rulemakings, emissions monitoring, emissions control, or other measures that reduce methane emissions from decaying organic waste in landfills.

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management
Waste Management
Enacted
Empty column

The Sustainable Agriculture Grants Program provides grants to implement conservation practices that reduce soil loss and improve soil health.

The Cover Crop Premium Discount Program offers premium discounts to promote additional acres of cover crops that are not covered by other state and federal program incentives.

Natural and Working Lands
Agriculture
Not Enacted
Empty column

Agriculture technical assistance programs provide state-driven technical assistance, apprenticeship and mentorship programs, and support securing additional funding for farmers to increase uptake of soil health practices.

Natural and Working Lands
Agriculture

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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