The Winnetka Future Energy Coalition has updated and edited this OpEd, originally written by Grace Scullion, raised in Winnetka, who started investigating her hometown’s ties to the Prairie State Energy Campus as part of an environmental journalism class in college. 

Winnetka, Illinois is leafy green. Well-manicured lawns and towering trees flank streets with names like Pine, Spruce, Oak, Elm and Cherry. The typical Winnetka story begins with a young family moving from the concrete jungle of a big city to the Village with visions of their children running barefoot in the backyard.   

But weaving through the limbs of Winnetka’s towering oak trees runs some of the dirtiest power lines in the state. The Village’s energy portfolio means Winnetkans burn more coal every time they turn the lights on than any neighboring suburb. Its electricity emits more than double the carbon compared to towns served by ComEd.  

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In 2007, Winnetka and a few other small towns in Illinois made a little-discussed decision that locked them into decades of fossil fuels and financed the construction of one of the dirtiest power plants in the country. This Tuesday, June 3, Village Trustees might repeat that mistake by voting to extend the coal-heavy energy contract through 2055. 

Please join us on Tuesday, June 3 at 7pm at Winnetka Village Hall to demand that Trustees not rush into signing a bad contract that will impact future generations.

Why Oppose the Contract Extension?

• It’s premature: This 20-year extension would be signed a full decade before our current contract expires.
• Massive financial risk: It’s a "take-or-pay" contract—meaning Winnetka must pay its proportional share whether we use the energy or not.
• No price protection: The Trustees say this offers price stability, but there’s no mechanism in the contract to ensure that.
• No way out: Even if the supplier fails to deliver, the contract has no cancellation provisions.
• Limits clean energy: The contract caps local generation at 10%, restricting our ability to invest in solar, wind, or other future technologies.
• Blocks cost-saving measures: It prohibits peak shaving, a common strategy for reducing electricity costs.
• No independent legal review: The Village has not sought input from a municipal energy attorney.

Why Haven’t Trustees Explored Better Options?

• At least 8–10 energy providers are eager to compete for our business—but the Village has not spoken with them.
• The Trustees have not required the provider to submit a standard utility plan. The proposed “Net-Zero Sustainability Plan” is inadequate as it is nonbinding, lacks industry-standard data, and is not part of the contract.
• The contract's energy mix is ​80% coal, making Winnetka’s emissions 2.4 times higher than neighboring towns.
• Other towns are saying no: the largest towns presented with this contract, Naperville and St. Charles, have not signed the contract, choosing instead to take time to evaluate alternatives. Our Trustees rejected St. Charles' invitation to collaborate to study alternatives.

To learn more, read Winnetka’s Dirty Secret.

Attend the Village Council Meeting:

• Winnetka Village Hall
• Tuesday, June 3, at 7:00 PM

Public comment is at the start of the meeting—residents may speak for up to three minutes. Even a short statement of concern makes a difference. But even if you do not speak, a large turnout sends a clear message.

Take heart, Winnetka! Other communities mobilized and stopped their cities from signing the proposed contract. Winnetka, we can do this too!

Winnetka purchases its electric power through the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA). IMEA is asking Winnetka and all of its members to sign a 20-year contract extension worth $200 million—10 years before our current contract expires. The contract extension would end in 2055. 

In 2007 Winnetka invested in a coal plant IMEA claimed would cost half of what it actually did to build. [Chicago Tribune] IMEA also claimed the plant would be “clean,” but it’s now regarded as one of the deadliest coal plants in the U.S. [Sierra Club] IMEA is requesting we lock into their supply for 30 years , and expects us to trust  a 'Net Zero Sustainability Plan' that lacks sufficient detail, transparency, or contractual guarantees.

In February, the Chicago Tribune editorial board wrote that IMEA should give its members reasonable time to figure out their energy futures. The board also said Winnetka, Naperville, and St. Charles should tell IMEA they will decide on the matter on their own timelines while being responsive to IMEA’s planning needs. Naperville and St. Charles have not signed the contract extension.

Please join us at the May 13 Village Council meeting to ask Trustees to take time and BID THE CONTRACT.