Heart of Illinois Sierra Club Secretary and Conservation Co-Chair Joyce Blumenshine says bad air quality can lead to the most costs for those who can least afford them. She said citizen advocacy has led companies and governments to make changes to protect the environment.
The American Lung Association s annual State of the Air report has produced mixed results for Peoria and Bloomington-Normal. Local advocates say Peoria County in particular has come a long way, but there s still more work to be done to deal with the effects of climate change.
Peoria County received a D ozone grade based off the area s number of days of bad air quality between 2017 and 2019, though it received an A for 24-hour particle pollution. McLean County earned a B based on the former metric, and an A based on the latter.