Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office has declined to give an opinion about the legality of expanding a jointly-owned enterprise zone in Tazewell County, State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz said Friday. Umholtz requested an opinion from Madigan's office several months ago ...But Umholtz said the issue isn't quite over for him. "This is an issue of statewide importance," he said. "I'm still trying to encourage state government to follow state law."

The bill, HB 3646, sponsored by Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville, creates the Renewable Energy Production District Act, allowing any area within a single county to be incorporated as a renewable-energy production district. The bill was introduced by Black in the Illinois House of Representatives in February and passed March 29 on its third reading, 114-0. But it was held up in the Senate's Energy Committee on Thursday. Black said the bill is opposed by utility companies.

Legislation approved by lawmakers but still needing Gov. Rod Blagojevich's signature would create a uniform method for assessing the value of wind turbines and, supporters hope, make Illinois more attractive for future wind energy development. Under the legislation, which Mautino helped negotiate, wind companies could expect to pay around $9,000 per megawatt regardless of the county. The law also sets standards on depreciation and allows only 25 percent of the land where a turbine is located to be assessed for property taxes.

Consider it the war of the energy plans. The three candidates for Illinois governor all have proposals that would harness the state’s agricultural bounty to help fuel automobiles while developing the economy, though they differ on the scope of public assistance that should be offered. Democrat Rod Blagojevich, Republican Judy Baar Topinka and Green Party nominee Rich Whitney also favor requiring electric companies to get increasing portions of their power from renewable sources, such as wind turbines, in the wake of an Illinois Commerce Commission resolution that sets voluntary goals, rather than binding levels, for utilities.

Some Commissioners have expressed concern over shelling out $30,000 for a wind energy feasibility study, especially considering that it's $30,000 the city had not budgeted to spend this year. Andre De Rosa, CEO of GSY Energy Inc., Monday rebuffed those' concerns and pushed for a speedy commitment to a $30,000 study, which he said would be covered by federal funds.

With northern Logan County embroiled in a controversy over a plan that would dot the rural landscape with 400-foot-tall wind turbines, a new government report is predicting that in two decades, Americans could get as much electricity from windmills as from nuclear power plants. ...If achieved, it would be an astounding leap. Wind energy today accounts for only about 1 percent of the nation's electricity, although the industry has been on a growth binge with a 45 percent jump in production last year. ...But the report cautioned that its findings were not meant to predict that such growth would, in fact, be achieved, but only that it is technically possible.

CAMBRIA, Wis. -- With empty storefronts on the main drag and corn stubble stretching for miles in the surrounding hills, this fading farm town seems like a natural stop for the ethanol express. Not to John Mueller, though. The 54-year-old stay-at-home dad has led a dogged battle to prevent a corn mill from building an ethanol plant up the hill from the village school. Concerned about air pollution, the water supply and the mill's environmental track record, Mr. Mueller and his group, Cambrians for Thoughtful Development, have blitzed the village's 800 residents with fliers, packed public meetings and set up a sophisticated Web site. The mill has fought back with its own publicity campaign and local corn farmers have taken to the streets in tractors to show support. Now, as the mill races to build the $70 million plant, the matter is headed to the federal courthouse in Madison, 40 miles southwest.

A proposed wind energy farm off the coast of Northwestern's campus could cut a "gigantic" amount of Evanston's carbon emissions, said Nathan Kipnis, one of Chicago's best-known "green" architects. Citizens for a Greener Evanston recently drew up the proposal, which calls for 10 turbines above the waters of Lake Michigan, four miles off the NU shoreline and Dawes Park.

Gov. Blagojevich unveils ambitious energy independence plan to reduce Illinois’ reliance on foreign oil. Governor’s plan would meet 50 percent of state’s motor fuel needs with alternative homegrown sources made from crops and coal by 2017. Illinois would be the first state to achieve this level of energy independence; Governor sets goal of replacing 50% of our energy supply with homegrown fuels. Plan to triple ethanol production and invest in clean coal technology will create 30,000 new downstate jobs and save consumers billions of dollars

Joining a burgeoning movement to address global warming, Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday will order state government to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade. The election-year plan will require state vehicles and buildings to be cleaner and more energy efficient. But critics noted that unlike a new California law, the initiative fails to impose restrictions on private vehicles and coal-fired power plants, the largest sources of heat-trapping carbon dioxide. If Illinois fails to cut emissions by 6 percent by 2010, taxpayers will make up the difference by purchasing credits from the Chicago Climate Exchange, a voluntary market where corporations and governments trade the right to emit greenhouse gases.

The discussion in Hanover Park over wind turbines is generating more hot air. The village board next month is to consider joining a group of area school districts and communities who are supporting the construction of power-generating wind turbines to reduce electricity consumption. Hanover Park Trustee William Manton has asked for the item to appear on the Jan. 15 agenda. But Village President Rodney Craig, who's been a big proponent of wind energy, nonetheless is calling Manton's move a political ploy.

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois could have an advantage over Texas in the sweepstakes to land a $1 billion, nearly pollution-free power plant, the chief of the state’s coal association said Tuesday. Phil Gonet, director of the Illinois Coal Association, said Illinois’ abundant coal fields could give two sites in Illinois the leg up over two sites in Texas in the contest to land the FutureGen power plant project.

Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich announced the launch of the $4 million Renewable Energy Development (RED) Fund that will support community-scale wind energy projects throughout Illinois.

Kentucky Utilities Co. intends to purchase wind power from northern Illinois and will soon ask state regulators to charge home customers about a buck a month more to pay for that alternative energy. The wind power, including the cost of transmitting the electricity to Kentucky, is about twice as much as it costs KU to generate power by burning coal at power plants. To pay for the wind power, KU plans to file an application with the Kentucky Public Service Commission, requesting permission to impose a "renewable resource clause" so it can recover the costs of purchased wind power and transmission costs.

Illinois is trying to build on its status as a good place to build a wind farm. The Illinois House and Senate have passed a bill that would designate the developments as enterprise zones. That would give the developers incentives such as a sales tax waiver on building materials.

Chicago-based independent power producer Midwest Generation announced today that it has reached agreement with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on a comprehensive, long-range plan that will begin reducing mercury emissions from its power plants 18 months ahead of federal regulations, followed by multi-year programs to further cut other emissions at each of the company’s six plants in Illinois.

The Sierra Club on Tuesday asked the U.S. Environmental Appeals Board to leave intact City Water, Light and Power's construction permit for its new coal-fired generator, which includes the purchase of wind power and emissions reductions the environmental group negotiated. Its filing is in response to Springfield developer David Maulding's request last week that the appeals board review the permit and strip it of the Sierra Club-negotiated requirements.

The districts, Keeneyville Elementary District 20 in Hanover Park and Community Unit District 300 in Carpentersville, started to explore wind turbines that can harness wind power and convert it into electricity. But both districts soon found their promising idea stymied by restrictive state and local laws. The districts then hit upon another solution: wind farms, clusters of turbines that can generate enough electricity to power several buildings, or even multiple local governments. ...An Illinois House bill could potentially fix these issues and provide the legal framework for school districts and municipalities throughout the suburbs to start benefiting from wind power produced on a large scale.

(AP) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Republican Judy Baar Topinka called Monday for a push to make Illinois the national leader in "clean energy" with a plan that includes new requirements for gas stations and power companies.

CHICAGO - The $1 billion electric rate-relief package that Illinois lawmakers approved this week contains not only savings for consumers but also an expected boon to the state's growing wind-farm industry. A provision of the bill that passed the House and Senate on Thursday requires utility companies to get increasing shares of their power supplies from renewable sources, especially wind turbines. The green threshold would start at 2 percent next year and would gradually increase to 25 percent by 2025, according to lawmakers and other proponents familiar with the details. Utilities previously agreed to voluntary goals, but environmental advocates have been pushing for binding requirements with penalties for companies that don't comply.