ICC Says New Pollution Limit Possible; Coal Industry Vows Fight

(Springfield, IL) -- The head of the state commerce commission says Illinois is in a good position to meet the new carbon pollution limits for power plants announced by the Obama administration earlier this week. Illinois must cut its power plant emissions to 12-hundred-71 pounds per megawatt hour by 2030, about a third less than the current level. ICC Chairman Doug Scott says the state's energy efficiency standards, cleaner coal-fired plants, nuclear reactors and renewable sources make the goal within reach. The head of the Illinois Coal Association calls the new limits "unfair," and Phil Gonet says the group will challenge them "every step of the way." Last year, St. Louis based Ameren Corporation sold its five Illinois Coal Fired Plants, including Duck Creek near Canton and E.D. Edwards near Bartonville in Peoria County to Houston-based Dynegy Incorporated.