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Filed under: COLUMNISTS Sidewalks: Silent killer of great oaks Bike-riding Elmwood Park arborist Scott Carlini struggles to save trees. By Neil Steinberg November 18 Filed under: POLITICS Pritzker signs electric vehicle legislation, aims to make Illinois a leader in ‘clean transportation revolution’ The Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act provides incentives for electric vehicle production across Illinois to help reach a 2030 goal of putting 1 million electric cars on the road. By Rachel Hinton November 16 Filed under: EDITORIALS 20 years is too long to wait for a promised Southeast Side Park The Army Corps of Engineers is using the site as a "confined disposal facility" for sediment dredged from the Calumet River to keep the channel open for tugboats, barges and ships. By CST Editorial Board November 15 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT Debra Shore, new EPA chief in Chicago, says environmental justice will be a key focus The former elected commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District also highlights climate change and hazardous waste site cleanups as priorities. By Brett Chase November 15 Filed under: An underwater lakeside dump could have become a park. Now it might turn into a bigger dump. By Brett Chase November 12 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT Lightfoot must release report on Little Village demolition dust incident, Ald. Rodriguez says Rodriguez said residents have a right to know whether there was negligence related to the demolition of the Crawford coal plant chimney in April 2020. By Brett Chase November 10 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT Loss of glaciers due to climate change will hurt tourism, power supplies and more Glaciers are rapidly melting, and the impact of that is likely to be broad, including rising seas and changes in weather patterns. By Associated Press November 10 Filed under: BUSINESS NIPSCO starts work on two new solar farms in northwest Indiana The projects for the Merrillville-based utility come as it aims to retire all of its coal-fired generation by 2028 and generate more electricity from renewable energy sources. By Associated Press November 9 Filed under: CHICAGO At Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, an animated message about climate change, refugee crisis hits home As the Climate Summit continues in Glasgow, a crisis unfolds in Madagascar, where 1 million are on the brink of the world’s first famine caused solely by climate change, and an animated short film at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival drums home both the climate and refugee crises. By Maudlyne Ihejirika November 7 Filed under: EDITORIALS The world needs more trees. Chicago and Illinois must help. Planting and preserving trees takes carbon dioxide out of the air instead of letting it escape into the atmosphere, where it warms the planet — which leads to climate change. By CST Editorial Board November 6 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT City official lays out stark disparities between Lincoln Park, Southeast Side where scrap-metal shredder wants to open Those living in three South Side communities have lower life expectancy, worse quality of life than residents around General Iron’s longtime Lincoln Park home, city official says. By Brett Chase November 4 Filed under: ‘Nothing else here’: why it’s so hard for the world to quit coal By Associated Press November 4 Filed under: NATION/WORLD This decade decisive for fighting climate change: Biden President Joe Biden also apologized for Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Agreement and the role the U.S. and other wealthy countries played in contributing to climate change. By Associated Press November 1 Filed under: NEWS CPS teen among Illinois youth delegation heading to 26th U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow "We’re already at a point where if we don’t effect change right now, it’s going to be detrimental to my generation, and the current leaders are not taking enough action," said Mather High School senior Khan Ali. By Maudlyne Ihejirika October 29 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT Biden should declare a climate emergency, EPA Midwest employees say The Chicago-based union head calls for strengthening an environmental agency decimated by former President Donald Trump’s administration. By Brett Chase October 28 Filed under: EDITORIALS Economic growth and an 8,000-year-old prairie can coexist Rockford can expand its airport while preserving the Bell Bowl Prairie By CST Editorial Board October 27 MOST READ Machete attacks on Northwest Side trigger police warning Popular barber shot to death in crowded shop on South Side: ‘We had little kids in there ... Everybody hit the deck’ Police release video of 2 suspects wanted in shooting death of 14-year-old Kevin Tinker Andy Dalton was the leader the Bears needed Thursday — but it stops there Mother shot to death near memorial for her 14-year-old son, who was killed just days earlier in Roseland CST_ Sign up for the Morning Edition Newsletter Local news and political coverage curated by our editors and sent directly to your inbox every morning. Email (required) By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. SUBSCRIBE Filed under: ENVIRONMENT Dinosaur is United Nations’ spokesman for ‘save your species’ fossil fuel message In a video released ahead of the U.N. climate change summit, a computer-generated dino tells the U.N.’s General Assembly, ‘Going extinct is a bad thing.’ By Associated Press October 27 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT Navistar to pay $52 million, reduce air pollution as part of settlement with feds The agreement ends a case the government brought accusing the Lisle truck maker of violating the Clean Air Act. By Brett Chase October 25 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT Hertz to buy 100,000 Tesla cars in a move to electric vehicles; first EV rentals available in November The rental car company is adding charging stations, too, in a deal worth an estimated 4.2 billion that matches the previous largest electric vehicle order ever. By Nathan Bomey | USA Today October 25 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT Pilsen metal scrapper sued for violating state pollution regulations Sims Metal Management, at 2500 S. Paulina St., allegedly failed an emissions capture test in May. By Cindy Hernandez October 22 Filed under: EDITORIALS Earth to Washington: Enact strong climate change legislation Taken together, climate proposals in Congress could lead to the biggest emissions reductions in the nation’s history. By CST Editorial Board October 22 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT City to reveal Southeast Side environmental review for General Iron permit As part of the report, an EPA analysis shows levels of soot and coarse particle pollution are high in the community around a proposed scrap-metal operation. By Brett Chase October 22 Filed under: BUSINESS Jump start for electric vehicle industry? Pritzker touts job training now, business incentives soon The Electric Vehicle Energy Storage training program dovetails with the state’s goal of getting one million electric vehicles on the road by 2030, which was included in energy legislation that passed the General Assembly last month. By Rachel Hinton October 21 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT City official should be fired, 2 others punished for coal plant implosion debacle in Little Village, watchdog says The discipline recommendations come in a critical report by the outgoing inspector general about the demolition that left a community covered in dust. By Brett Chase October 19 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT Biden announces plan to halt spread of ‘forever chemicals’ Illinois is tracking contaminated water across the state and identified more than 100 water systems with traces of PFAS. By Brett Chase October 18 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT McKinley Park asphalt plant fined after hundreds of complaints, owner is appealing MAT Asphalt is objecting to the $4,000 fine after an inspector reported "odors of rotten eggs and fine particulate was blowing at me." By Brett Chase October 18 Filed under: ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE Prince William to Bezos, Branson and Musk: save the planet, then travel to space William, who has been immersed in environmental issues all his life through the strong interest of his father, Prince Charles, and his late grandfather, Prince Philip, voiced his worries about the world his own children will inherit. By Associated Press October 14 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT After oil spill near Lockport, pipeline operators to pay $8.7 million, feds say The release of 1,800 gallons of oil next to the Illinois-Michigan Canal damaged rare wetlands and threatened an endangered dragonfly species. By Brett Chase October 14 Filed under: EDITORIALS As your home heating bill goes up — and it will — don’t blame renewable energy Illinois leaders should explain where price increases really come from before Illinoisans turn their frustrations on the green power sector. By CST Editorial Board October 13 Filed under: EDITORIALS As a fighter for the environment moves up and on, Pritzker must make sure there’s no sliding backward The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s emerging identity as a force against climate change could be eroded with Debra Shore’s exit. By CST Editorial Board October 12 Filed under: CHICAGO Debra Shore to lead six-state EPA region from Chicago The Evanston politician will head one of the biggest federal environmental enforcement offices in the country. By Brett Chase October 12 Filed under: ENVIRONMENT Chicago rips Indiana steel company for threatening our drinking water after 2 spills Both the EPA and city on Friday called the situation at U.S. Steel in Portage "unacceptable." By Brett Chase October 8 Pagination MORE STORIES CST_ Terms of Use Privacy Notice Cookie Policy Do not sell my info Accessibility Platform Status Contact Us Customer Support Masthead Send Us a Tip Terms of Sale Author Login