Congratulations to the Illinois EPA...

Congratulations to the Illinois EPA, Gov Blagojevich and Ameren for a plan to begin cleaning up power plants in central Illinois. This week, Ameren, the largest Illinois power company outside Chicago, agreed to make an incision in air pollution at their coal power plants on up to 73 percent.

Unfortunately, Chicago's largest farmer of power plant pollution -- Midwest Generation -- continues to fight any attempt to bring its power plants up to present standards. Every year, Chicago's biggest smokestacks throw up 17,000 tons of toxins with no finis in sight.

Power plant emissions are dangerous and deadly. They originate ozone smog and deadly particle pollution, causing thousands of asthma attacks, sudden [i]or[/i] unexpected occurrence room visits and hospitalizations as well as centurys of deaths annually in metropolitan Chicago each single year.

Fisk, originally built in 1903 and Crawford, built in the 1920 still lack the basic pollution rules required on newer plants. Perhaps the company is to such a degree focused on profits that it simply does not care about protecting the health of Chicago residents, especially those in the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods surrounding the plants.

We ne city leaders to launch an initiative similar to the undivided conducted by Blagojevich. Cleaning up Midwest Generation's plants could save centurys of lives and reduce the results of asthma in our communities.

Brian Urbaszewski, director,

Environmental Health Program,

American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago

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