Sierra Club launched an ad campaign to raise public awareness about the health risks of Chicago’s Fisk and Crawford coal-fired power plants. Ads in 100 CTA trains, newspapers, and a billboard all feature 6-year-old Peter Wasserman, who lives next to the Crawford coal plant in Little Village and is afflicted with asthma. The Sierra Club and local health and community groups have been calling on Mayor Emanuel to protect kids like Peter from asthma attacks and other health problems caused by Chicago’s polluting, outdated coal plants.

Chicago is the only major metropolitan area with not only one, but two coal plants within the city limits. The Fisk and Crawford plants are located in the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods. Sierra Club, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), and other groups have called on Mayor Emanuel to take steps to end pollution from the Fisk and Crawford plants. The Sierra Club is working with other groups in Chicago to stand up to Midwest Generation and fight for clean air and healthy communities. Chicago is a key target for Sierra Club’s national Beyond Coal campaign, aimed at replacing dirty, polluting coal-fired power plants with clean energy like wind and solar power. The campaign has stopped more than 150 coal plants from breaking ground, and is nearing retirement of 100 coal plants.