Heartland Coalfield Alliance

JOIN US!

At a May Rally
Against Coal Mis-Education!

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (IDCEO) Coal Education and Marketing Program is using taxpayer money to push coal on our kids – right in their classrooms! IDCEO puts out “From the Coal Mines to the Power Lines”, which looks like a legitimate curriculum, but is actually a publicly funded marketing tool for the coal industry that disgracefully targets schoolchildren.

CHICAGO:
Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 11:45 am
James R. Thompson Center
(NW Corner, Randolph and Clark)

SPRINGFIELD:
Thursday, May 3, 2012, 12:30 pm
SE Corner of Monroe Avenue and 5th Street

In its materials, IDCEO tries to pass coal industry talking points off as fact – including the outright falsehood that “the evidence is not clear that the combustion of fossil fuels has led to a warming climate”.  Absolutely no mention is made of coal’s devastating and well established impacts on our land, air, water and health in Illinois and around the world.

Instead of acknowledging the transition to cleaner, cheaper alternative energy sources that is already underway, IDCEO attempts to pull the wool over children’s eyes, insisting that coal is the fuel of the future.

As the school year is coming to a close, we will be delivering a report card on how well IDCEO is serving Illinois’s kids  … their progress is not looking good! Click here for a flier and then sign our petition.

Coal in the Heartland
Multi-Media Presentation 

Coal's Legacy of Pollution in Illinois

In Illinois and across the country, powerful interests are getting behind “clean coal” as a local solution to our energy problems. Unfortunately, clean coal is a myth – from the coal mines to the power plants, coal is the dirtiest way to meet our electric needs.

Join local residents and water quality professionals from the Heartland Coalfield Alliance for a multimedia presentation that explores the implications our energy choices have on the health of water and communities in Illinois’ coalfields.  More…

TAKE ACTION!

Don’t Let Peabody Destroy
Illinois’ Forests!

Proposed Land Swap, Shawnee N'tl Forest

The U.S. Forest Service is on the verge of approving a “land swap” that would give Peabody Energy 384 acres of the Shawnee National Forest along the Saline River in Illinois. Strip mining this unique natural area would destroy this crucial habitat for federally endangered species and reduce water quality in the Saline River, posing a threat not just to wildlife, but also to the local residents who rely on clean and healthy rivers for hunting, fishing and recreation.

Now that the initial comment period is over, the Forest Service will begin the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement.

There is still time to tell the Forest Service to stop the swap, and make sure this gem of the Shawnee Forest remains protected forever.  How can you help?  Stay informed and sign our petition!

At Issue …
Fulton County Coal Mining 

Over 20,000 residents of Canton and neighboring communities rely on Canton Lake for clean drinking water, and the West and Middle Branches of Copperas Creek provide some of the highest quality wildlife habitat, hunting, and fishing left in Fulton County.

But the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has tentatively decided to issue water pollution permits for a 1,084 acre strip coal mine that would send additional pollution into Canton Lake and Copperas Creek, and allow for the destruction of miles of tributary streams.

Learn about the devastating impacts of this mine and then take action. Sign the petition and call on Governor Quinn and Illinois EPA to defend clean water from coal pollution.