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November E-News
Big Victory for Clean Water and River Protection in Southern Illinois!
 After more than a decade of legal efforts by ELPC attorneys and their clients to stop the building of a new dam on Sugar Creek, the City of Marion has agreed to buy water from another source, Rend Lake. ELPC and the Sierra Club have long argued that the City obtain water from Rend Lake in order to avoid expected environmental impacts including the destruction of 6.2 miles of one of the last free flowing streams in Illinois. Last month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the City to reconsider Rend Lake as a source for water.
"It is great to see the law work as it should to require serious consideration of less polluting alternatives. After numerous lawsuits and more than 15 years of citizen efforts, the City of Marion has agreed to use a source of water that meets Marion's needs without causing unnecessary destruction of the environment," said Albert Ettinger, ELPC Senior Attorney.
ELPC Hosts Farm Bill - Clean Energy "Seeding our Future" Strategy Meeting in Des Moines
 Congress is now starting work on the next Farm Bill, which could, if ELPC's efforts succeed, include hundreds of millions of dollars in new investments for wind power and other renewable energy, energy efficiency and biofuels projects. Stakeholders representing agriculture, economic development and clean energy interests are now debating the size and shape of these programs.
 To prepare for this debate, ELPC hosted a strategy session in Des Moines, in cooperation with the Iowa Environmental Council and the Iowa Farmers Union, to hash out key issues and develop winning strategies for clean energy development in the next Farm Bill. U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (Iowa) spoke to the group, reinforcing the importance of the next Farm Bill in responding to environmental, energy security, energy costs, and rural economic development concerns. For more information, visit www.farmenergy.org
Illinois Pollution Control Board to Decide Mercury Pollution Reduction Standards
The Illinois Pollution Control Board has placed the mercury pollution reduction standards on its agenda for decision at its November 2 meeting. The Board received a record number of more than 7,000 public comments, the vast majority of which were in support of the strong mercury reduction plan. If the rule is approved, it will then be submitted to Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, a bipartisan legislative oversight committee in the Illinois General Assembly. Their review of the rule is the final step in the process that began when Gov. Blagojevich proposed the mercury reduction rule on January 5, 2006. ELPC has been instrumental in the development of the plan, which calls for a 90% reduction in mercury pollution from Illinois coal plants by 2009 and would make Illinois a national leader in reducing mercury pollution from coal plants.
For more information on the proposed mercury pollution reduction plan, please visit www.stopmercurypollution.org.
ELPC Joins Public Officials to Inaugurate New Amtrak Routes
 On October 18, ELPC joined state and local leaders on inaugural runs of new Amtrak service in Illinois. Beginning on October 30th, Illinois' partnership with Amtrak includes two additional trains each direction along the Chicago-St. Louis corridor, one additional train each direction along the Chicago-Carbondale corridor and one additional train each direction along the Chicago-Quincy corridor. The new service is the result of state appropriations actively supported by ELPC and its colleagues.
"When 300 municipal leaders, 30 chambers of commerce, and 12 university presidents said Illinois needed more trains, the legislature responded," explained ELPC's Kevin Brubaker. "This is a tremendous step toward our goal of fast, frequent and dependable rail service throughout the Midwest." Trains are already sold out despite the fact that service has yet to begin.
Please Make an End-of-Year Contribution to Support ELPC's Successful Work
 ELPC is the Midwest's premier environmental legal advocacy and eco-business innovation organization, and among the very best in the country. As you think about your charitable contributions this year, we hope that ELPC will be among those that you support. A year-end tax deductible donation will allow ELPC to continue our work to conserve our natural resources and improve the quality of life in our communities. Your generosity will have far reaching impact.
Please click here to make a donation online or contact ELPC Development Associate Mary Anne Madeira at mmadeira@elpc.org or 312-795-3715.
ELPC Teams Up to Protect Iowa Water
ELPC is playing a key role in a regional partnership to improve Clean Water Act protection for Iowa's waters. This past spring, ELPC attorneys Albert Ettinger and Brad Klein worked with the Iowa Environmental Council, the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club, and the Hawkeye Flyfishing Association to close a major loophole in Iowa's water quality standards that left over 80% of Iowa's streams unprotected for the Clean Water Act's minimum "fishable" and "swimmable" uses. Now, we are challenging a proposal to allow a massive increase of toxic ammonia discharges upstream of threatened mussel populations in the Cedar River. Brad and Albert are also working with state officials to develop new "antidegradation" rules that will help keep clean water clean in the Hawkeye State.
The Iowa project is one piece of a broader effort to improve Clean Water Act implementation throughout the Mississippi River Basin. This "Mississippi River Water Quality Collaborative," funded by the McKnight Foundation, links more than 20 nonprofit organizations in order to reduce pollution entering the River by sharing knowledge and resources. The Collaborative allows state-based environmental groups to leverage ELPC's legal and technical expertise to protect waters in their states. In addition to revitalizing communities and ecosystems throughout the Basin, this project aims to eliminate the "Dead Zone" which forms each summer in the Gulf of Mexico at the River's south end. More information about this important project is available at www.mcknight.org/feature/waterquality.aspx.
ELPC Welcomes Kelsey Snell
Kelsey Snell has recently joined ELPC as a Legal Assistant. Kelsey grew up in Chicago's northern suburbs and is a recent De Paul University graduate with course studies in political science and journalism. Welcome aboard, Kelsey!
Register Today:
Sustainable, Green & High-Performance Solutions for the Built Environment
Go beyond green at this comprehensive event! Join professionals from the private and public sector who design, construct, manage facilities, and specify building products. Explore the breadth of green building, sustainable design, renewable energy, environmental planning processes and information collaboration strategies for construction.
Conference: December 5-7, 2006, Exhibition: December 6-7, 2006
Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
Held in cooperation with:
Sustainable Buildings Industry Council and The Green Building Institute
Save up to $100 when you register now for the conference. Friends of ELPC can also receive FREE exhibit and keynote admission. Register here by November 4, 2006. Visit www.ecobuildfederal.com for information.
Eco-Tip: Install Energy Efficient Compact Fluorescent Lights
Do your part to reduce global warming pollution by installing energy saving Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) in your home. Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn is working with the U.S. EPA’s Energy Star program to sign up people willing to change at least one incandescent light bulb to an energy efficient light bulb. Lt. Governor Quinn’s office reports 7,887 Illinoisans have thus far pledged to change out 21,359 bulbs, saving $602,324 and 9,504,755 pounds of greenhouse gases from going into the atmosphere. Click here to take the pledge today! Visit www.globalwarmingsolutions.org to learn more about CFLs. | 
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