Illinois

Tulips, Jane Addams Park, and a White Sox game would make for a fun day in Chicago–and a tour of prominent civic institutions who share lobbyists with the fossil fuel industry.

In 2022, the Chicago Horticultural Society and the Chicago Park District both shared a lobbyist with gas-plant operator Exelon, and the Chicago White Sox shared one with the WEC Energy Group.

The climate crisis is contributing to increased flooding in Chicago, with disproportionate impacts on communities of color, including neighborhoods near the White Sox’ stadium. In response to flooding and other climate impacts like extreme heat days, the Chicago City Council declared a climate emergency in February 2020, and in March 2022 it voted to ban city investments in coal, oil, and gas companies. Yet in 2022, the City continued to employ the same state lobbyist, William Filan, as BP America.

In addition to Chicago, 24 other local governments in Illinois employed fossil fuel lobbyists in 2022, including Champaign, Des Plaines, Joliet, Marion, and Urbana.