Illinois
Illinois is making progress on climate action, especially with the historic Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) becoming law in 2021, putting the state on the pathway to 100% carbon-free power by 2045.
Legislative Profile
Governor: J.B. Pritzker (D)
House: Democratic supermajority
Senate: Democratic supermajority
U.S. Climate Alliance Member
Key Resources
Illinois State Energy Profile — U.S. EIA
Illinois Climate Change Portal — Illinois EPA
Environmental Justice Community Search Map — Illinois Solar For All
Illinois Climate Scorecard — RMI
Emissions Reduction Targets
By 2025:
26-28%
All targets relative to 2005 levels
2019 GHG Emissions By Sector (%)
- Commercial
- Electric
- Residential
- Industrial
- Transportation
- Agriculture
Source: EPA State Inventory Tool (SIT)
Use the + icons in each policy area below to explore climate policy that has been passed at the state level, with links to relevant legislation and trackers. Policies in gray have not yet been passed in this state.
Climate Governance & Equity
Climate Governance
Greenhouse Gas Targets
Emissions Reduction Target
26-28% by 2025 Relative to 2005 levels
Mandate Source
Voluntary – Executive Order 2019-06 (2019)
Climate Action Plan
Climate Bureaucracy
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
Green Bank
Illinois Finance Authority Climate Bank and Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund
Establishing Legislation
SB 2408 (2021)
Lead by Example
ACEEE Score – 1 out of 1 point**
Public Fleet ZEV Requirements
Executive Order 2021-08 (2021) – Develop and implement a program for the procurement of zero emissions vehicles for the state’s fleet
Equity
Environmental Justice Community Designation
Mandate Source
20 ILCS 3855/1-56 (2020)
Definition
“Environmental justice communities” are defined as the top 25% census block groups based on factors including environmental hazards, income, race, health, and other environmental and socioeconomic criteria.
Include race? Yes | Include income? Yes | Include pollution burden? Yes
State EJ Mapping Tools
EJ Community Benefit Requirement
20 ILCS 3855/1-56 (2017) – 25% of Illinois Solar for All funding
SB 2408 (2021) – 45% of transportation electrification funding to environmental justice communities
EJ Bureaucracy
EJ Advisory Bodies
Commission on Environmental Justice
HB 2487 (2023) – Creates a Justice40 Oversight Committee
EJ Government Staff
Illinois EPA – EJ Coordinator
Illinois EPA – Office of Environmental Justice
**The ACEEE Energy Efficiency Scorecard analyzes the policies and programs states adopt to save energy in public sector buildings and transportation fleets. States can earn up to 1 point.
Adaptation & Resilience
Electricity
Renewables and Energy Storage
Greenhouse Gas Targets
Renewable Portfolio Standard
Distributed Generation/Solar Carve-out
SPOT Components – 4 out of 5*
Net Metering
SPOT Components – 5 out of 11*
Energy Storage Standard
SPOT Components – 1 out of 5*
Shared Renewables
SPOT Components – 6 out of 6*
Grid and Utility Reform
Clean Energy Plan
Grid Modernization Plan
The GridWise Alliance’s Grid Modernization Index (GMI) evaluates and ranks the status of grid modernization efforts across all 50 states and D.C.
50-state Ranking – 2nd
Interconnection Standards
SPOT Components – 6 out of 6*
Utility Green Power Option
SPOT Components – 2 out of 6*
New Utility Business Model Proceeding
SPOT Components – 5 out of 5*
Carbon Pollution Pricing
*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.
Buildings & Efficiency
Building Energy Codes
Residential Codes
SPOT Components – 5 out of 6*
Statewide code – 2018 IECC
Commercial Codes
SPOT Components – 4 out of 6*
Statewide code – 2018 IECC
Stretch or Reach Codes
Available for adoption by January 2024 (2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act)
*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.
Efficiency Programs and Incentives
Weatherization Programs
SPOT Components – 3 out of 4*
Energy Auditing Programs
Retrocommissioning Programs
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)
SPOT Components – 5 out of 10*
Energy Savings Performance Contracting
SPOT Components – 2 out of 5*
Standards and Market Mechanisms
Energy Efficiency Resource Standard
SPOT Components – 5 out of 5*
Building Performance Standard (BPS)
Appliance Performance Standard (APS)
Carbon Pollution Pricing
Buildings Data Disclosure
Transportation
Vehicle Standards and Incentives
Low-Emission Vehicle (LEV) Standards
Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandates
EV Targets and Sales Requirements
SB 2408 (2021) – Sets a goal of having 1 million EVs on the road by 2030
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle (MHDVs) Sales Standards
Electric Vehicle Incentives
SPOT Components – 2 out of 5*
Charging Infrastructure Incentives
SPOT Components – 1 out of 5*
Carbon Pollution Pricing
Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS)
*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.
State Planning and Investment
Greenhouse Gas Targets
Decarbonization Plan
EV and EV Charging Infrastructure Plans
EV Transit Bus Deployment
The ACEEE Transportation Electrification Scorecard analyzes the level of investment and policies states adopt to procure electric transit buses. States can earn up to 6 points.
ACEEE Score – 1 out of 6 points
Bicycle Friendly State
The League of American Bicyclists’ State Report Cards evaluate and rank the safety and efficiency of active transportation systems across all 50 states.
50-state Ranking – 15th