Illinois
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![Road into forest in Illinois]()
![Road into forest in Illinois]()
How the Trump administration is fast-tracking logging in Illinois’ only national forest
Facing pressure to increase timber harvests, the Forest Service is sidestepping rigorous environmental reviews and limiting public participation.
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![Birds sitting on marshlands]()
![Birds sitting on marshlands]()
Illinois has few remaining wetlands. A Trump administration proposal could decimate what’s left.
If the rule takes effect, more than two-thirds of Illinois’ wetlands could lose federal protections.
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![Three plumbers in green jackets installing a new water service line.]()
![Three plumbers in green jackets installing a new water service line.]()
‘They’re playing games’: Illinois lawmakers press Trump administration over stalled lead-pipe funding
Congress appropriated $15 billion to replace lead pipes across the country. Is the Trump administration withholding it?
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![Electrical power lines running through Chicago with blue sky in the background]()
![Electrical power lines running through Chicago with blue sky in the background]()
Illinois takes steps to address high energy costs, betting big on battery storage
The state legislature passed a bill that will add a surcharge for customers in the short term, but should pay it back more than 10-fold over the next 20 years.
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![Silver carp leap out of water being shocked by electric currents.]()
![Silver carp leap out of water being shocked by electric currents.]()
Racing against time, Illinois clears a major hurdle in containing an invasive fish
After a political standoff between President Trump and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, the state is now moving ahead with a billion-dollar project to contain invasive carp.
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Chicago has a lead pipe problem. Millions earmarked to address it remain untouched.
City officials have struggled to meet state and federal deadlines, and many residents have yet to receive warnings about the risks of lead pipes.
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![An electrician working with a heating, ventilation and air conditioning company, or HVAC, prepares the Mitsubishi condenser/compressor used to connect a residential heat pump system July 21, 2025 in Charlotte, Vermont.]()
![An electrician working with a heating, ventilation and air conditioning company, or HVAC, prepares the Mitsubishi condenser/compressor used to connect a residential heat pump system July 21, 2025 in Charlotte, Vermont.]()
Energy projects across the country are in limbo after Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’
Community groups, businesses, and consumers say projects face an uncertain future after Republicans slashed renewable energy tax credits.
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![Contestants in a fishing tournament use hand-held nets to catch Asian carp as they leap from the water near Bath, Illinois.]()
![Contestants in a fishing tournament use hand-held nets to catch Asian carp as they leap from the water near Bath, Illinois.]()
Illinois must protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp. A toxic mess stands in the way.
Only 40 miles separate voracious Asian carp from the world's largest freshwater ecosystem. To stop them, Illinois must reckon with its legacy of coal ash pollution.
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![shot of wetlands in central illinois]()
![shot of wetlands in central illinois]()
How Big Ag thwarted wetlands protections in Illinois and Iowa
Two years ago, the Supreme Court made it easier to destroy swamps and marshes. Agricultural lobbyists want to keep it that way.
