The IEC Education Fund is the education and outreach arm of the Illinois Environmental Council, a left-leaning climate and energy policy advocacy nonprofit that opposes the use of nuclear energy. 1
In 2023 the Illinois Environmental Council supported the Illinois governor’s veto of legislation that would have permitted expansion of nuclear power in the state. The Illinois Environmental Council released a statement supporting the moratorium on new nuclear power stations in Illinois: 1
“Nuclear power comes with significant safety risks and results in highly hazardous wastes that threaten our drinking water, with no safe, permanent waste solution in sight. Rather than abandon all safeguards, Governor Pritzker recognized that such substantial risks merit the highest protective guardrails our state can offer.” 1
Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 19 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. 2 An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. 3
to support a project focused on improving the health and safety of residents of Cahokia Heights facing environmental health hazards
$162,664
2022
Builders Vision Foundation
To improve the housing conditions and the health and safety of Cahokia Heights residents who face environmental health hazards related to stormwater flooding and wastewater overflows.
The Illinois Environmental Council Education Fund is an established environmental organization with over 100 affiliates. The grantee leads coalition building, education and outreach efforts protecting Lake Michigan and water resources within Illinois. With prior support from the Mott Foundation, the grantee has elevated statewide awareness of the dangers of lead pipes and the need to expedite lead service line replacement. The grantee also launched an initiative to reduce pollution from plastic waste in the Great Lakes basin. With renewed support, the Illinois Environmental Council Education Fund will create conditions to support investment in Illinois' crumbling water infrastructure, address emerging contaminants in water and help forge a new state water plan, all while seeking to ensure that clean, safe and affordable drinking water is accessible across the state with a focus on urban centers in the Great Lakes basin.
1. “Moratorium on New Nuclear Remains in Place in Illinois Thanks to Governor Pritzker’s Veto.” Illinois Environmental Council. August 11, 2023. Accessed September 24, 2025.
2. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed August 3, 2022. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php>.
