Chicago Enviro Groups Want Controls on Coal Fired Plants

Fisk & Crawford Plants

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was presented with a petition on Wednesday that included more than 6,000 signatures urging support for a proposed ordinance that would control the emissions from two coal-fired power plants that spew tons of contaminants into the air in Latino neighborhoods. The effort is being spearheaded by the Chicago Clean Power Coalition

The environmentalists are demanding an ordinance directed at the Fisk and Crawford plants, located near the Latino neighborhoods of Little Village and Pilsen, respectively.  Both plants are owned by Midwest Generation. The coalition notes that Fisk, built in 1903, and Crawford, which dates from 1924, "are subject to more lenient federal pollution limits because of their age."

The environmentalists cite a 2001 Harvard University study which found that pollution from Fisk and Crawford could be responsible for 42 premature deaths, 66 heart attacks and at least 2,800 asthma crises annually.

Chicago's proposed Clean Power Ordinance has not been resolved despite months of discussions within the 50-member City Council. The measure recently was returned to the Council's agenda on the initiative of Aldermen Daniel Solis and Joe Moore, but no date has been set for a vote on it.

Kim Wasserman-Nieto, executive director of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, demanded the mayor's intervention to "put this problem behind us once and for all."

The ordinance under study would obligate the plants to stop burning coal to generate electricity and to switch over to natural gas or stop operating.

It establishes that if an installation has a quarterly emissions average that exceeds the federal and state limits, it will be fined up to $10,000 and will have to suspend its operations until pollution controls are installed to ensure it complies with the standards. (Fox New Latino, 9/20/2011)

Greenpeace Needs a National Canvass Director

Organization: Greenpeace USA
Position Title: National Canvass Director
Location: Washington, DC or San Francisco (DC Preferred)
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/about/jobs/National-Canvass-Director/

Summary

Greenpeace’s Frontline Canvass operation brings in over half of the organization’s income by recruiting more than 75,000 new members every year, increasing both the financial strength and political impact of Greenpeace by recruiting members who give automatic monthly donations. The National Canvass Director is responsible for the management of Greenpeace’s street and door-to-door canvass offices to ensure that each office achieves its financial and member recruitment objectives.

The best candidate for this position will be an experienced fundraiser, a seasoned manager, a strategic program planner, a motivating trainer and will have a deep understanding of the power the canvass builds for Greenpeace and its campaigns. This is a senior level position responsible for a multi-million dollar fundraising program. This is a full-time, exempt position located in Washington, D.C.

Responsibilities

Performance: Create annual budgets with the Development Director that set objectives for total money raised, total members recruited, net income, gross income and expenditures, and attrition. Set regional and office-level goals and parameters for the program, including quotas, staff number objectives, and more. Manage the program to achieve these objectives.

Staff Development: Manage the recruitment, training and development of Regional Directors, the Training Director, operations staff, and office managers.

Evaluation: Analyze national, regional, and office-by-office reports each week assessing performance with an eye on income, attrition, new members, members per hour, average donation, and other key factors. Highlight any key positive or negative trends and make changes to the program to maximize the income for the organization.

Supporter Management: Ensure that all member data is collected and secured centrally within 24 hours of receipt and that all membership data is secure at all times, that members are being debited in a timely manner signing up on the street, that all members are receiving thank you post cards and welcome calls, and that complaints are dealt with in a timely manner.

Innovation: Create, test and implement new methods of accomplishing programmatic goals while mitigating risk. Support staff in creating, testing and implementing innovative ideas.

Campaign Work: Collaborate with the Grassroots team to ensure that agreed upon campaign work in offices reaches campaign objectives and supports fundraising.

Program Management:

• Ensure that systems for developing and tracking fundraising locations are managed in each office and centrally.
• Work with Regional Directors to develop recruitment, retention, staff development plans and performance plans week to week. Manage the Regional Directors to those plans.
• Work with Regional Directors, Human Resources and Legal to enforce performance standards in offices, which may include issuing warnings and dismissals.
• Work with Regional Directors to ensure that all staff, offices, and regions meet minimum fundraising standards.
• Perform regular site visits to offices to support and train offices.
• Ensure Frontline materials, letters and general information are factually accurate and up to date. Work with internal campaign and communications staff to keep information up to date. Coordinate regular campaign briefings and provide other motivational materials for Frontline staff.
• Work with supporter services to monitor comments and feedback, track cancellation trends for indications of performance problems, and provide timely answers for supporter service staff on possible donor questions related to the canvass.
• Write, test and adopt “face to face” fundraising scripts to maximize effectiveness.
• Organize and facilitate national trainings for Regional Directors, City Coordinators and other canvass staff.

Experience & Qualifications

• Regional or National Canvass management experience required.
• A minimum of 3-5 years face-to-face fundraising experience, preferably in a canvass or other solicitation technique.
• Candidates with directly similar experience in national-level field management or political mobilization will be considered.
• Experience using appropriate data analysis to inform decision making.
• Proven ability to train and manage staff; ability to manage remote staff.
• Proven ability to inspire teams with proven leadership skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects effectively.
• Experience in handling and resolving customer service issues in a timely manner.
• Experience analyzing data including affects of programmatic changes, scheduling, scripting and other program elements.

Skills & Characteristics

• Excellent interpersonal skills as well as verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage and motivate a large team of staff.
• Ability to identify, recruit, train and retain staff.
• Short-term and long-term strategic planning skills.
• Ability to analyze data, make recommendations and turn those recommendations into on the ground action.
• Proficiency in Excel, Word, e-mail and database programs.
• High levels of integrity and a commitment to grassroots organizing and civil disobedience as a way to make change.
• Interest in innovative process design and goal oriented.
• Commitment to protecting the environment.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

To Apply

Greenpeace USA has engaged Koya Leadership Partners to help in this hire. Please send a compelling cover letter and resume to Molly Brennan at executivesearch@koyapartners.com .

Greenpeace is an equal opportunity employer .

About Greenpeace

Greenpeace USA is on the rise. From its early days of activism, it has become a mature, professional $30 million organization with staff in 30 U.S. cities. Greenpeace uses creative tactics to run effective and hard-hitting campaigns that inspire our members and make a global impact. Greenpeace has doubled in staff and funding over the past five years, growing to 23 offices throughout the United States.  For more information, visit http://www.greenpeace.org/ .

About Koya Leadership Partners

Koya Leadership Partners is a national retained search and consulting firm that works exclusively with non-profits and social enterprises. We deliver measurable results, finding exceptionally talented people who truly fit the unique culture of our client organizations. For more information about Koya Leadership Partners, visit http://www.koyapartners.com/ .

Andrea Cimino, Recruitment Fellow
Greenpeace USA, Washington DC
202-319-2477

Natural Resources Defense Council Midwest Advocacy Director

Position Description:  Chicago Office: Background:

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a global non-profit environmental organization with more than 1.3 million members and online activists. They have offices in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Beijing, China. Their staff of over 350 includes lawyers, scientists, economists, and policy experts work to protect the environment and public health through advocacy and education.

Specific Role:

The Midwest Advocacy Director will be responsible for building public support to advance NRDC’s strategic priorities and our federal, state, and local policy agenda in the region. The Director will work to build relationships with elected officials, advocacy groups, and other potential allies; coordinate with NRDC programs; and will be responsible for the development and execution of NRDC advocacy, coalition building and grassroots activities in the region. Specific near-term objectives include promoting clean energy policies; protection of the Great Lakes; strong mercury, smog, and carbon standards under the Clean Air Act, and robust support of the Clean Water Act. The Midwest Advocacy Director will be based in NRDC’s Chicago office, and will report jointly to both the Midwest Program Director and the Government Affairs Director.

Major Responsibilities/Activities

• Develop and help manage a robust NRDC network in the Midwest, leverage influence of “Grasstop” supporters, allies and affinity groups on NRDC’s strategic priorities.
• Help develop and oversee strategies, including campaigns, to promote NRDC’s policy objectives in the Midwest.
• Foster a network of relationships with elected and appointed officials, businesses, civic leaders and advocacy groups, and build an advocacy structure to affect and influence decision-makers, opinion leaders and policy experts in the Midwest on NRDC’s strategic priorities.
• Work with NRDC’s government affairs, communications, development, program staff and policy advocates in planning and implementation of NRDC’s governmental and policy advocacy in the Midwest.
• Help foster effective connections between NRDC’s regional and national staff on campaigns and programs.

Specific Role: Major Objectives: Professional Requirements:

• B.S. or B.A. degree in public policy, political science government, or related area; Master’s or J.D. degree preferred;
• At least 10 years experience in government relations, political consulting or legislative practice; Excellent interpersonal skills;
• Demonstrated leadership, management, and administrative skills; and
• Excellent written and oral communications skills required.
• Work experience in government relations and legislative action;
• Practical experience with political campaigns, policy advocacy, or public interest campaigns;
• Practical knowledge of energy policy, public health issues, or environmental regulations desired;
• Practical experience with press and/or social media advocacy desired; and
• Practical knowledge of key political figures and issues in the region.

Personal Requirerments:

NRDC offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a pleasant working environment and is committed to workplace diversity. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with experience.

Interested candidates may send information to: Christine Boulware at chrisb@boulwareinc.com

Natural Resources Defense Council is committed to ensuring diversity in its workplace, and candidates from diverse diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. For further information about NRDC, please visit http://www.nrdc.org/

Environmental Justice Act: Chicago

Governor Pat Quinn has signed legislation creating a commission to ensure minorities and the poor aren't disproportionately affected by environmental pollution. The Environmental Justice Act was sponsored by Democratic Sen. Toi Hutchinson of Chicago Heights and Rep. Will Davis of East Hazel Crest.

It creates a commission that will analyze state laws and policies to ensure no population bears the brunt of pollution risks. The panel will make recommendations to the governor and Legislature.

The new law addresses concerns about rising asthma rates and other health problems. Race, income or nationality shouldn't determine whether a community has clean air and water.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will provide administrative support to the commission. Members will include lawmakers, the public and health, environmental and business advocates. (Chicago Tribune, 8/16/2011)

Natural Resources Defense Council: Job Announcement

NRDC Job Announcement - Legal Fellow - Chicago Office

Position Summary:

This is a two-year fellowship that will focus on projects designed to address global warming, improve air and water quality, and promote clean energy through litigation and advocacy in the Midwest. She or he will work primarily on state and federal litigation to encourage the retirement or clean up of existing coal-fired power plants, along with challenging proposed new coal facilities, and advocacy on legislative and regulatory proposals regarding air, water, and climate protection.

Essential Functions:

The fellow will work with NRDC’s lawyers in the Midwest Program and Litigation Team, along with allied organizations, to engage in all phases of litigation, from case development through trial and appeals. The fellow may also engage in some administrative advocacy and policy and legislative analysis. The fellow will also have some responsibility for building and maintaining relationships with advocates at other environmental organizations working on coal, climate, and air and water quality issues.

Skills and Knowledge Requirements:

The successful candidate will have graduated from law school within the past three years and must be licensed to practice law. Exceptional legal writing and analytical skills are required. Relevant litigation experience, such as a federal court clerkship, is a plus, as is a demonstrated commitment to public service or public-interest lawyering.

NRDC offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a pleasant working environment and is committed to workplace diversity. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with experience. To apply please visit www.nrdc.org/jobs. Please include a cover letter, resume, law school transcript, writing sample that demonstrates critical reasoning and legal writing abilities, and a list of references by February 14, 2011. No phone calls or faxes please. Please reference where you saw this posting. NRDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a global non-profit environmental organization with more than 1.3 million members and online activists. They have offices in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Beijing, China. Their staff of over 350 includes lawyers, scientists, economists, and policy experts who work to protect the environment and public health through advocacy and education.

Hazel M. Johnson Dies: Mother of Environmental Justice



Hazel Johnson

 Chicago South Side environmental activist Hazel M. Johnson, 75, died of complications from congestive heart failure Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011. Mrs. Johnson a longtime resident of Chicago's Altgeld Gardens public housing development, was spurred into environmental activism after her husband, John, died of lung cancer in 1969.  She fought corporate polluters and rallied residents to protest contamination.

She founded a group called People for Community Recovery and put pressure on the Chicago Housing Authority to remove asbestos from Altgeld Gardens. Mrs. Johnson focused much of her organization's work on educating minority communities about urban environmental hazards. She became known as the mother of the environmental justice movement.

Mrs. Johnson was instrumental in convincing city health officials to test drinking water at Maryland Manor, a Far South Side neighborhood dependent on well water. After tests conducted in 1984 revealed cyanide and toxins in the water, officials installed water and sewer lines.

Her work in Chicago led to the national stage, where she joined a group of activists in urging President Bill Clinton to sign the Environmental Justice order. Ms. Johnson served on the U.S. EPA's first National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC), established on September 30, 1993.

Altgeld Gardens:Life in a Toxic Enviroment from Jennifer T. Lacey on Vimeo.

Mrs. Johnson was the eldest of four children born in the area of New Orleans now known as "cancer alley." Johnson would spend most of her adult life in the Calumet Region, the industrial area along Lake Michigan's southern tip that is one of the nation's most polluted areas. Mrs. Johnson was preceded in death by her son Michael. In addition to her daughter, Cheryl Johnson, Mrs. Johnson is survived by two other daughters, Yolanda Johnson and Valerie Johnson; sons John Jr., Johnny and Mark; 10 grandchildren; and five great grandchildren.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, January 22, 2011 in St. Ailbe Catholic Church, 9015 S. Harper Ave., Chicago. (Chicago Tribune, 1/16/2011,

African American Environmental Association: 25th Anniversary

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

Today is our 25th anniversary.  We was incorporated on November 20, 1985.  The African American Environmentalist Association (AAEA) is the outreach arm of the Center for Environment, Commerce & Energy (Center).

You can see a listing of many of our activities during that time at our original website, which we converted to Multiply when the original Msn Groups platform ended).  There is more activity information at our History page. My career has been very satisfying.  From my beginning in the Fall of 1979 at the Environmental Policy Center (now Friends of the Earth) until today, the adventure has been incredible.  I started out in the Washington, D.C.-based environmental movement.  Jimmy Carter was president and was just finishing a rough 4-year run.  I shook his hand at the Democratic National Convention in New York in 1980 not knowing that Washington was about to get a completely new makeover.  The Reagan era was interesting and quite the challenge for the environmental movement.  I still remember his 'no standard standard' for appliance efficiency standards.  I also remember the Air Florida crash and the Metro subway accident on the day that I was walking back from the U.S. Department of Energy after testifying on appliance standards.

Well, without sounding like the old guy in the room sharing old war time stories that nobody really wants to hear, the situation today is as exciting as ever.  We are embarking on trying to build biomass power plants in Mississippi, California and in Kenya.  The adventure continues and I am having more fun than ever.  Our team is lean and mean and green. 

I have kept the AAEA small on purpose and will continue to do so.  I almost died from respiratory failure in 1991 and 1996 (intubated for 4 days in ICU each time).  After getting divorced and full custody of my son when he was 2 years old, I decided that I wanted to stick around to see my son grow up.  But I also wanted to continue with my entrepreneurial environmentalism.  So keeping it small worked.  Although I still struggle with a chronic acute asthma that could kill me any day, my son is now 18 and I am still 'doing my green thing.'  Life is good.  Hey, and we just opened a new Center Hollywood blog this week (Also see AAEA Hollywood).  Oh, and if you're feeling generous, feel free to click on our Donation button on our sites.

Remembering Environmental Justice Legend Dana Alston

Dana Alston was 47 years old when she died 11 years ago on August 7, 1999.

Dana Alston, left, was a leader of the original environmental justice movement that started in the 1980's. She was one of the organizers of the first National Environmental Justice Leadership Summit in 1992. She participated in the meetings to convince the U.S. EPA to open an Office of Environmental Justice. She was a committed environmental justice activist and the movement clearly benefited from her leadership. We remember you Dana. And we will never forget you.

Dana Alston received a Bannerman Fellowship in 1992 in recognition of her leadership in the development of the environmental justice movement. The Bannerman Fellowship Program was founded in 1987 on the belief that the most effective approach to achieving progressive social change is by organizing low-income people at the grassroots level. In 2002, the Fellowship Program was renamed the Alston/Bannerman Fellowship Program in honor of Dana Alston.

Dana died on August 7, 1999 at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Dana was a native of New York and lived in Washington, D.C. She was in San Francisco for treatment of kidney disease and consequences of a stroke when she died.

Her son, Khalil Alston-Cobb, now 17, resides in Clinton, Maryland. He is (or was at 16) a skateboard enthusiast (see videos). Here is how Khalil describes himself on his MySpace page:

"I like Skateboarding, Playing videogames, listening to music, talking to Gurls, surfing the Web, and Chillin wit the Homies."

Khalil is also on Twitter. He has a great skateboarding video on MonsterArmy.com. He is listed on Children of the Struggle. Dana would be very proud of her teenage son. All who knew her are not surprised that Khalil is an energetic and productive young man.

NRDC Job Announcement: Program Assistant, Chicago Office

Natural Resources Defense Council
Job Announcement

Program Assistant
Chicago Office

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a global non-profit environmental organization with more than 1.3 million members and online activists. We have offices in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Beijing, China. Our staff of over 350 includes lawyers, scientists, economists, and policy experts who work to protect the environment and public health through advocacy and education.

Position Summary:

NRDC seeks a Program Assistant to work in its Chicago Office. The Program Assistant will provide administrative support to the Director and Deputy Director of the Midwest Program, and the Midwest Director of Development. The candidate must be able to efficiently handle administrative tasks such as: coordinating and booking travel, handling phone calls, scheduling and coordinating meetings, processing expenses, handling budgets, proofreading and preparing materials.

Essential Functions:

• Scheduling and facilitating various internal and external meetings;
• Maintaining calendar appointments and meetings for Director and Deputy Director of Midwest Program;
• Processing invoices and business expenses;
• Tracking restricted grants and discretionary spending;
• Coordinating schedules and travel arrangements;
• Proofreading and editing correspondence;
• Coordinating mailings to donors and members;
• Providing general administrative support; Researching prospective donors and maintaining prospect lists for eight Midwestern states; and
• Providing support for development events.

Skills and Knowledge Requirements:

• Bachelors degree and interest in environmental issues a plus;
• 2-5 years previous administrative experience;
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills;
• Strong interpersonal skills;
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with the capability of handling multiple tasks at once;
• Must have the ability to work independently, prioritize multiple projects, and perform well under deadlines;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality a must;
• Excellent time-management skills;
• Ability to work well under pressure and be detail-oriented; and,
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

NRDC offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a pleasant working environment and is committed to workplace diversity. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with experience. To apply please visit www.nrdc.org/jobs. Please include salary requirements in your cover letter. Application deadline is Monday, August 9, 2010. No phone calls or faxes please. Please reference where you saw this posting. NRDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

For further information about NRDC, please visit http://www.nrdc.org/

EPA Releases Annual Enforcement Results & Mapping Tool

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released enforcement results for fiscal year 2009, and has developed a new Web-based tool and interactive map that allows the public to get detailed information by location about the enforcement actions taken at approximately 4,600 facilities.

In FY2009, EPA concluded enforcement actions requiring polluters to invest more than $5 billion on pollution controls, cleanup, and environmental projects. Civil and criminal defendants committed to install controls and take other measures to reduce pollution by approximately 580 million pounds annually once all required controls are fully implemented.

The new mapping tool allows the public to view the locations of facilities that were the subject of those enforcement actions on interactive maps of the U.S. and territories. The maps show facilities where civil enforcement actions were taken for environmental laws for air, water, and land pollution, and a separate map shows criminal enforcement actions.

Viewers can click on specific facilities to find historical information about specific enforcement actions, such as violations and monetary penalties. In addition, viewers can use the zoom function to find out which facilities are located near water bodies that are listed as "impaired” because they do not meet federal water quality standards.

EPA mapped the locations of more than 90 percent of the facilities that were the subject of enforcement actions last year. EPA did not map the locations of drinking water treatment plants due to potential security concerns.

For the past 10 years, EPA has described annual enforcement results by focusing primarily on two measures, the estimated pounds of pollutants reduced and estimated cost of commitments made by defendants to control or reduce pollution. These measures vary significantly from year to year and are dependent upon the number of large cases that settle in a given year.

While these large cases are a vital part of our work to protect public health and improve compliance, they do not reflect the totality of the annual environmental enforcement activities, and do not capture the number and variety of enforcement actions taken to help clean up local communities. The new mapping tool will help increase transparency, improve access to data, and provide the public with the bigger picture of enforcement activity occurring in communities around the country.

More information

Sustain Magazine Promotes Green Urbanism

The latest issue of Sustain Magazine reflects current thinking in the area of green urbanism and urban sustainability in our cities. The issue features seven perspectives on the ideal city in terms of policy and planning. This publication (co-edited by John Gilderbloom and Matt Hanka) presents American and Dutch analysis on a range of topics including: equitable development; downtown revitalization; the benefits of bicycling; neighborhood planning; urban morphology; creating aculture of tolerance; and reducing carbon emissions.

Sustain Magazine is a peer reviewed publication, and it is produced by the Kentucky Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Development (KIESD). Formed by the University of Louisville in 1992, KIESD provides thegeneral public and the research community statewide with the tools andthe space to work towards a brighter future. The Institute if a forum for conducting interdisciplinary research, applied scholarly analysis, public service and educational outreach on environmental and sustainabledevelopment issues at the local, state, national and internationallevels.

Sustain Magazine of KIESD

Sustainable Communities Issue

Professor Taylor Explores History of Environmental Justice in American Cities in New Book

A new book from a University of Michigan professor explores how the centuries-old connections between racism and the environment in American cities.

"The Environment and the People in American Cities, 1600s-1900s: Disorder, Inequality, and Social Change" was written by Dorceta Taylor, left, a professor at the School of Natural Resources and Environment and director of an institute studying the issue of environmental justice its modern context. Duke University Press plans to release the book this month.

"The Environment and the People in American Cities" provides a sweeping and detailed examination of the evolution of American cities from Colonial New York and Boston to recent urban planning and labor reform efforts, outlining the rise of problems like overcrowding, pollution, poverty and epidemics and connecting them to systemic environmental racism and other forms of environmental inequities.

In its coverage of race, class and gender inequalities, the book includes a dimension missing from other academic books on environmental history. Professor Taylor adds to current research on the subject by exploring the emergence of elite reformers, the framing of environmental problems and the responses to perceived breakdowns in social order. By focusing specifically on cities, she offers important clues to understanding the evolution of American environmental activism.

Beyond the contribution to historical literature on the subject, Professor Taylor connects her findings to current issues in environmental policy. The book grew out of an undergraduate class on environmental politics Professor Taylor taught more than a decade ago. After finding no books or articles examining race, class or gender and the environment in a historical context, she decided to write her own. The project eventually grew into two books.

While all-male expeditions and solitary males who retreat to the woods for months or years at a time are idealized in many environmental history accounts, the urban activists receive no such acclaim or glory," she said, noting that female, working class and ethnic minorities were active in environmental activism and affairs. "In the city, the classes, races and genders interacted with each other to create a kind of environmentalism that was very fluid and dynamic.

Throughout her analysis, she connects social and environmental conflicts of the past to those of the present. She describes the displacement of people of color for the production of natural open space for the white and wealthy; the close proximity between garbage and communities of color in early America; the "cozy" relationship between middle-class environmentalists and the business community; and resistance to environmental inequalities from residents of marginal communities.

Official First Family Photograph

The Obamas in the Green Room, Sept. 1, 2009, with Sasha, second from left, and Malia, right. (Annie Leibovitz for the White House)

Illinois River Is Heavily Polluted According To New Report

According to a new report published by the Sierra Club, "Wasting Our Waterways," the Illinois River ranked 11th in the country for most toxin chemicals released. The report used the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) to analyze the impact on U.S. waterways.

According to TRI, more than 230 million pounds of toxins were discharged into American water in 2007. That includes 8.8 million pounds in all of Illinois, and 3.9 million pounds in the Illinois River. Four of the 12 highest-ranked rivers are in this state, although several of them travel through other states as well. And TRI does not include agricultural uses or sewage treatment plants. (PJStar.com, 10/21/09)

AAEA Opens Chicago Office

AAEA has reestablished its presence in Chicago, Illinois.

The Chicago Office for the Midwest Region will not only cover issues in the city and surrounding areas, it will also address regional environmental and energy issues.

We are excited about reestablishing in the hometown of Oprah Winfrey and President Barack Obama.

We look forward to a productive future as we work to mitigate environmental issues in this region.

Sandrea O'Dette McDonald upper right, is Director of the Chicago Office.