The Mahomet Aquifer is the lifeblood of Central Illinois, supplying clean drinking water to over 850,000 people, 100 communities, and countless farms and businesses. As a sole-source aquifer designated by the EPA, it is an irreplaceable natural resource. However, the aquifer faces a critical threat: pollution from carbon sequestration projects. Federal incentives like the 45Q […]
Rural Electric Cooperatives
Energy Democracy Rural electric cooperatives (co-ops) serve the critical electricity needs of rural Illinoisans. Prairie Rivers Network is working to ensure that they are poised to take advantage of clean energy and be part of tackling the climate crisis. This work requires an understanding of their history and the unique challenges limiting opportunities for the […]
Energy Community Reinvestment
Illinois’ efforts to transition to a clean energy economy should also include support for communities and workers that are most impacted by the closure or reduced operation of fossil fuel power plants, nuclear power plants, or coal mines. To date, the transition away from coal in Illinois has been unplanned and disordered including, no advance […]
Clean Water Forever
Prairie Rivers Network’s Clean Water Forever campaign sounds the alarm about the emergency facing our rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Driven by unchecked pollution, particularly from industrial agriculture and legacy pollution from coal mining and decades of burning coal, Illinois faces a grave water crisis encompassing interwoven issues of water quality, quantity, equity, and access. With […]
