After enacting forward-looking climate legislation called the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, Illinois has been slipping behind other states in taking the next step. The state’s lapse surely contributed to Chicago having the worst air quality in the world among major cities on Tuesday, as ranked by the World Air Quality Index.
Much of the city’s air quality problems came from Canada as winds blew in smoke from wildfires. But Illinois has contributed to the problem by doing too little to transition to electric vehicles, especially away from large vehicles that burn fossil fuels.
Illinois has yet to adopt the Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which has been implemented by some another states to phase out most gasoline-powered heavy duty vehicles in favor of zero-emissions trucks and vans. Because the Chicago area is a large freight hub, getting cleaner trucks on the road should be a priority.
Some other states also have rules that require manufacturers to sell a higher percentage of electric vehicles within their states, but Illinois has not adopted such a rule. That is a surprise, because the large electric vehicles Illinois manufacturers are building here will tend to be shipped to those other states.
Illinois does provide rebates for electric cars, but last year the fund ran dry about halfway through the fiscal year. Instead of enlarging the fund for the next year, the state trimmed it by about 40%. Some people who bought electric vehicles thinking they would get a state rebate were taken aback when they learned the money had run out before their vehicle was shipped.
CEJA does effectively address pollution from power plants and sets the state on a long-term path toward clean renewable energy. But Illinois needs to do more to get fossil fuel-burning vehicles off the road.
Highly polluted air is dangerous. People with asthma or other respiratory problems find it hard to breathe. Some people will wind up in hospital rooms. The likelihood of bad air contributing to heart attacks, strokes and even premature deaths is worrying health experts.
Wildfires, manufacturing, power plants, diesel and gasoline vehicles emit particulates called PM2.5, which worsens air quality. To help improve air quality, those sources must be cleaned up as much as possible.
Until Illinois is doing all it can to clean up the air in the state, its residents cannot breathe easily.
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