Hannah Lee Flath, hannahlee.flath@sierraclub.org, 860-634-0225
Ellen Rendulich, emrrealty@comcast.net, 815-592-5629
ROMEOVILLE, IL. -- This morning, NRG Energy revealed its intention to retire the Will County Generating Station in Romeoville in June 2022. This announcement comes after more than two decades of advocacy from local environmental group Citizens Against Ruining the Environment (CARE), which is an entirely volunteer-led grassroots nonprofit founded in 1995.
The Will County coal-fired power plant in Romeoville is the largest source of dangerous sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution in the south suburbs of Chicagoland. Exposure to SO2 pollution from coal plants and other sources for as little as five minutes can cause lung function impacts, asthma attacks, and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Children and adults with asthma are particularly at risk for adverse health effects from short-term SO2 pollution exposure.
“CARE is elated that NRG is finally doing the right thing by shutting down the toxic coal stacks that have caused and significantly impacted so many respiratory health issues in and around all of the units,” said Mary Burnitz, Director and one of the founders of CARE. “Air has no boundaries. This issue is not new and the long term effects are scary. This has been a long journey and it’s not over yet.”
“CARE has been fighting for over 25 years to move our community beyond coal and we welcome the news that the largest source of uncontrolled air pollution in our backyards will be retiring,” said Ellen Rendulich with CARE. “As a community, our next step will be to hold NRG accountable for this retirement date and to make sure the company identifies opportunities for worker transition and future investments in clean energy projects here in our community.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.