U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is among a handful of legislators behind a bill that would strengthen legal protections for communities disproportionately impacted by pollution and other environmental threats.

An American eel caught by a 5-year-old angler last week is possibly the first such eel ever recorded in the Chicago River, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

A new poll on climate and energy reveals surprising attitudes from Americans. We talk with the leader of the University of Chicago study group.

Since 2010, the EPA has cited an East Chicago steelmaking facility six times for violations of the Clean Air Act. Now, a group representing nearby residents intends to sue EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt over the renewal of the company’s operating permit.

Since embarking on a new sustainability initiative, Shedd Aquarium has cut annual water use by more than half, from 60 million gallons in 2012 to 28 million gallons today.

Fifteen new high-resolution security cameras will target those who illegally dump old furniture, tires and other waste across the city.

Sea creatures made from flip-flops, beach toys, water bottles and other plastic garbage that washed ashore are part of a new exhibit illuminating the proliferation of pollution in the world’s waterways.

A public art installation along the Chicago River aims to bring the realities of climate change in Antarctica to Chicago. 

A new analysis of citywide carbon emissions data shows that Chicago is 40 percent of the way to meeting emission reduction targets set under the Paris climate deal. 

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and about a dozen other elected officials will take part in a fundraiser aimed at boosting efforts to improve the quality of the river’s water.

What part – if any – does global warming play in the intensity of hurricanes? And what infrastructure failures contribute to the utter loss and destruction during extreme weather?

State regulators signed off Monday on an energy savings plan that consumer advocates say could cost downstate residents nearly 30 percent in savings on utility bills.

Grant funding will be used to restore wetlands and improve water flow at a 278-acre park that opened last year at a former industrial site on Chicago’s Southeast Side.

A Kansas company that last week won approval of Illinois’ first horizontal fracking permit has been cited with more than two dozen violations in multiple states, records show.

Chicago public health officials have given the Southeast Side company an additional week to come up with an improved plan for reducing emissions of manganese dust.

Despite more than 5,000 public comments opposing the permit, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources this week approved an application for the controversial oil-drilling practice.