An Open Letter on Clean Energy

A group of 53 Illinois scientists, engineers, economists, and health professionals argues that the state's clean energy progress has stalled due to policy flaws. They advocate for increasing the renewable energy target to 35% of electricity and energy efficiency investments capable of reducing demand by 20%, while calling for a market-based approach from the Illinois EPA to reduce carbon emissions.

• Illinois has experienced a decline in its national standing for clean energy deployment, with no new wind farms coming online in 2013 or 2014. This allowed Oklahoma to overtake Illinois as the fourth-largest wind power producer in the U.S. Additionally, Illinois's rank in solar power installation dropped from thirteenth in 2013 to twenty-sixth in 2014.
• The signers identify flaws in the current Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)—which targets 25 percent renewable electricity by 2025—and the Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (EEPS), which requires 2 percent annual electricity savings. They argue these laws prevent utilities from the long-term planning and cost-effective investments necessary for sustained growth.
• The professional group recommends specific policy enhancements: increasing the renewable energy target to provide 35 percent of the state's electricity and driving energy efficiency investments to reduce demand by 20 percent. They also suggest the Illinois EPA implement a market-based approach for further carbon emissions reductions.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2015). An Open Letter on Clean Energy. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/05/Illinois-Expert-Letter.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. An Open Letter on Clean Energy. 2015. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/05/Illinois-Expert-Letter.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=An Open Letter on Clean Energy |date=May 2015 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/05/Illinois-Expert-Letter.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{unionofconcernedscientists2015open, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{An Open Letter on Clean Energy}}, publisher = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2015}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/05/Illinois-Expert-Letter.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }