Illinois Green Policy Update: June 2026

Just wanted to share some updates after the Illinois State Legislature adjourned on May 31st. (Fun fact, the session ran until 4 am until they were able to pass the budget) 

Data Centers 

In late May, I joined hundreds of others in Springfield to call for action on data centers, a significant hot-button issue in climate policy right now. 

Data centers have become the talk of the town at the capital due to concerns about energy use, costs, and environmental impact leading to the introduction of the POWER Act, arguably the most ambitious data center regulation proposed in the country. This bill would require data centers to pay for the energy and capacity infrastructure they use and create an affordability fund requiring them to support energy bill assistance programs and energy efficiency projects. 

While the Illinois General Assembly  wasn’t able to come to an agreement on the POWER Act before the session closed, Governor Pritzker issued an executive order to suspend tax credits for new data centers in the state and negotiations are going to continue well into the summer and fall.  

Energy Usage Data Access 

Energy benchmarking is foundational in our work because, as the saying goes,  you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Unfortunately, it is often challenging for owners or operators to access whole-building data from gas utilities, making benchmarking a major pain or impossible.  

During the legislative session, we worked with our partners at BOMA Chicago to create a legislative solution to fix this problem with a "massive" amendment (see the two-word fix below). Now gas utilities will have to create a system for accessing whole-building utility data! 

While this is a small piece of legislation, it’ll get rid of headaches in municipalities with  benchmarking ordinances and make anyone else who wants to start tracking their building’s energy use very happy. 

Light Pollution 

Lawmakers also passed bills this spring to make it easier to stargaze (and also reduce light pollution and energy use). The Dark Sky Act will make sure that any outdoor lighting on state land, paid for with state funding, or where the stretch code has been adopted, complies with international light pollution standards and the Responsible Outdoor Lighting Control Act will phase out the intensely bright, blue LEDs and require soft white to warm lights. 

Housing 

Governor Pritzker wasn’t able to construct enough support to pass his BUILD Plan, a package of bills that aims to address the housing shortage across the state by loosening zoning restrictions, improving approval processes, and more. Expect this to also return in the fall. 

Balcony Solar 

Efforts to legalize plug-in solar systems didn’t move forward due to labor and safety concerns. The proposal would've allowed permitted small-scale, behind-the-meter systems that can be plugged directly into a standard power outlet. While Illinois’s efforts here have stalled, peers across the country have succeeded and advocates plan on revisiting the idea in later sessions. 

Chicago City Council has passed Phase 3 of their Building Codes Modernization initiative. This update includes significant changes to gas, fire prevention, energy, and residential construction codes that align with national standards. 

Here are some relevant highlights described by the Department of Buildings: 

• Aligns energy-efficiency requirements with the latest national standards, which are shown to save both energy and reduce up-front costs by providing builders with a menu of flexible compliance options. 
• Provides greater clarity on how to apply energy-efficiency requirements to renovation projects. 
• Retains the electrification-ready and solar-ready requirements first. 
• Adopts clear standards for next-generation air conditioning systems, consistent with recent changes in federal law. 
• Updates gas-piping and appliance-safety standards for the first time in 25 years, ensuring Chicago’s requirements reflect modern materials, equipment, and installation practices. 
• Updates adopting the latest fire safety standards for solar panels and energy storage systems. 
• Authorizes the use of space-saving stairway designs that maintain the ability for simultaneous occupant evacuation and emergency response while also building apartments with more flexible layouts and better access to natural light and air. 
• Provides more flexibility for residential conversion of buildings with full sprinkler systems. 

Learn more about the changes here.

Additionally, the City of Chicago is updating their Green Infrastructure Strategy in an effort to create a coordinated plan to use natural systems like permeable pavement, green roofs, and bioswales to manage stormwater. 

In doing so, the city hopes to reduce the burden on the sewer system, mitigate increasingly common urban flooding, improve water quality, create more green spaces and more. 

Currently the City is seeking expert feedback on their plan. This is an opportunity for experts to use their know-how to guide Chicago’s infrastructure and resilience strategy. Learn more about the plan and share your feedback through the link below 

2026 Green Infrastructure Strategy | City of Chicago  

In 2022, Evanston approved a first-of-its-kind pilot program to improve the health, efficiency, and sustainability of low-income households.  

The Green Homes Pilot provided free home renovations for low-income Evanston residents, to remove health dangers, address long-ignored maintenance issues, and demonstrate the benefits of clean energy. 

As of May, 18 units have been fully renovated with another 32 set to be completed later this year. This program currently is funded through a federal grant set to expire by the end of the year, but the city is exploring funding alternatives to continue and expand the program. 

Environment Board gets an update on Green Homes pilot | Evanston Roundtable 

We have new data showing the impacts of one of the biggest programs from the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). The Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) program provides income-eligible households, non-profits, and public facilities with free or low-cost solar installations. 

During the last program year, over $93.7 million in was invested in 1250 projects resulting in 16.38 MW of new energy capacity. Additionally, more than 150 of these projects also included $7 million worth of home repairs and energy efficiency upgrades. 



Learn more about the Illinois Solar for All program here. 

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