Jump to main content or area navigation.

Contact Us

Clean Air Markets

Illinois

CAIR Reduces Illinois’ Emissions

  • By 2015, CAIR will help Illinois sources reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) by 125,000 tons or 34 percent.
SO2 Emissions (thousand tons) 2003 2010 2015
Illinois SO2 emissions without CAIR 365 402 447
Illinois SO2 emissions with CAIR N/A 240 240
  • By 2015, CAIR will help Illinois sources reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 81,000 tons or 55 percent.
NOx Emissions (thousand tons) 2003 2009 2015
Illinois NOx emissions without CAIR 146 146 159
Illinois NOx emissions with CAIR N/A 69 65

CAIR Helps Illinois and its Neighbors

  • Because air emissions travel across state boundaries, reducing the emissions from sources in Illinois also will reduce fine particle pollution and ground-level ozone pollution in other areas of the country.
  • Currently, Illinois sources significantly contribute to fine particle pollution in other states:
        Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama & Michigan
  • Currently, Illinois sources also significantly contribute to ground-level ozone pollution in other states:
        Ohio, Wisconsin & Michigan
  • Illinois’ fine particle air quality will improve because of reductions of SO2 and NOx in:
        Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Texas & Wisconsin

CAIR Makes Illinois’ Air Cleaner

  • CAIR helps Illinois meet and maintain the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution.
  • SO2 and NOx contribute to the formation of fine particles (PM), and NOx contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone.
  • Areas meeting the NAAQS are in attainment. Those areas not meeting the standards are known as “nonattainment areas.”

    Fine Particle Pollution

    • At the end of 2004, 12 Illinois counties were designated nonattainment for EPA’s health-based standards for fine particle pollution.
    • CAIR will help reduce particle pollution in all of these counties:
          1. Cook County Chicago-Gary-Lake County, Il-IN Area
          2. DuPage County Chicago-Gary-Lake County, Il-IN Area
          3. Grundy County (P) Chicago-Gary-Lake County, Il-IN Area
          4. Kane County Chicago-Gary-Lake County, Il-IN Area
          5. Kendall County (P) Chicago-Gary-Lake County, Il-IN Area
          6. Lake County Chicago-Gary-Lake County, Il-IN Area
          7. McHenry County Chicago-Gary-Lake County, Il-IN Area
          8. Will County Chicago-Gary-Lake County, Il-IN Area
          9. Madison County St. Louis, MO-IL Area
          10. Monroe County St. Louis, MO-IL Area
          11. Randolph County (P) St. Louis, MO-IL Area
          12. St. Clair County St. Louis, MO-IL Area

    Ground-level Ozone

    • At the end of 2004, 12 Illinois counties were designated nonattainment for EPA’s health-based standards for ground-level ozone pollution.
    • Existing Clean Air Act programs will bring all of these counties into attainment by 2010:
          1. Cook County Chicago-Gary-Lake Co., IL-IN Area
          2. DuPage County Chicago-Gary-Lake Co., IL-IN Area
          3. Grundy (P) County Chicago-Gary-Lake Co., IL-IN Area
          4. Kane County Chicago-Gary-Lake Co., IL-IN Area
          5. Kendall (P) County Chicago-Gary-Lake Co., IL-IN Area
          6. Lake County Chicago-Gary-Lake Co., IL-IN Area
          7. McHenry County Chicago-Gary-Lake Co., IL-IN Area
          8. Will County Chicago-Gary-Lake Co., IL-IN Area
          9. Jersey County St. Louis, MO-IL Area
          10. Madison County St. Louis, MO-IL Area
          11. Monroe County St. Louis, MO-IL Area
          12. St. Clair County St. Louis, MO-IL Area

CAIR is Smart for Illinois' Economy

  • CAIR helps maintain coal as a viable fuel/energy source, keeping jobs in Illinois.
  • Regional electricity prices are not significantly impacted by CAIR, and are projected to be below 2000 levels.
Average Retail Electricity Prices (AREP) in 1999 dollars 2000 2010 2015
Illinois’ AREP without CAIR (mills/kWh*) 61.2 52.6 57.8
Illinois’ AREP with CAIR (mills/kWh*) N/A 53.9 60.4
    *mill = 1/10 of a cent

Notes:
1) Partial counties are identified by (P) following the county name.
2) Projections concerning future levels of air pollution in specific geographic locations were estimated using the best scientific models available. They are estimations, however, and should be characterized as such in any description. Actual results may vary significantly if any of the factors that influence air quality differ from the assumed values used in the projections shown here.
3) Small emission increases can occur in a state under CAIR where shifts in power generation occur, but overall improvements occur throughout the CAIR region. The Final CAIR includes a compliance supplement pool of NOx allowances (roughly 200,000 allowances) for the annual program, which could lead to slightly higher annual NOx emissions than are stated here.
4) The data presented here is based on recently completed, revised Integrated Planning Modeling (IPM), reflecting CAIR as finalized. This recent data may differ slightly from modeling results in the Final CAIR Federal Register Notice and Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) which were based on modeling that was completed before EPA had determined the final scope of CAIR. The primary difference in the earlier modeling included AR, DE, and NJ in the annual SO2/NOx requirements, and did not include an ozone season cap on any states.
5) Emissions reductions take into account state and federal pollution control programs in place when EPA last updated its models in mid-2004. Reductions from more recent state programs or settlement actions are not reflected in these tables.
6) Retail electricity prices are by North American Electric Reliablity Corporation (NERC) region.

« Return to Where You Live

Top of Page

 

Jump to main content.