To: Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago
Move Chicago Beyond Coal
Dear Mayor Emanuel:
Coal is destroying our communities in Chicago. Edison Internationalʼs Fisk and Crawford coal plants are making us sick and fueling climate change. The power from these plants is sold out of state, and the profits go to California-based Edison, while families in Chicago get stuck with the pollution, the hospital bills, and the costs of an increasingly unstable climate. Meanwhile, state and federal regulations have failed to protect us against asthma-causing soot and global warming pollution.
As a resident of Chicago, I ask you to hold Edison accountable to phase out these coal plants, protect workers and create a safe and renewable energy future. Until then, I ask you to protect public health by setting strict pollution limits of at least 50% reduction in CO2 pollution and 90% reduction in soot pollution for the Fisk and Crawford coal plants.
Why is this important?
For over 100 years Chicago residents have been breathing life-threatening pollution from Midwest Generation's Fisk and Crawford coal plants on the Southwest Side.
Enough is enough. It's time for the City of Chicago and Midwest Generation to address this public health and environmental crisis.
Midwest Generation, a subsidiary of California-based Edison International, burns Wyoming coal, employs non-Chicago residents, and sells Fisk and Crawford's power on the open market out of state.
What do we get? We get life-threatening pollution and $120 million dollars in medical costs every year.1
Chicago is the only major metropolitan area with a coal plant operating within its city limits. Even more conservative states in the South have set retirement dates for their coal plants. If Chicago is truly going to be a "green" and healthy city it cannot wait any longer to protect its citizens from these ancient polluters.
Sign this petition and tell Mayor Emanuel to protect our families and move Chicago to a clean energy future.