DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Members of the Illinois People's Action (IPA) attended the Illinois EPA's hearing Thursday night, demanding permit denial for Broadwing Energy's proposed natural gas plant.
One main concern about the project is the impact the plant could have on Lake Decatur.
"It’s very important for our drinking water, for cooking water, for restaurants and hospitals and long-term care facilities, for any business that needs clean water for their work," said Verlyn Rosenberger, a member of Illinois People’s Action.
Broadwing Energy's plant will be located at ADM's Decatur facility along Brush College Road and will produce electricity and steam for ADM and Google.
IPA said the proposed project will inject approximately 2 million tons of CO2 beneath Lake Decatur.
"This project represents a major step forward for Illinois, pairing established technologies and scale to reduce emissions while strengthening the state’s energy future," said Matt Mangum, a Broadwing Energy representative.
Many residents feel the project will ultimately bring more harm than good to the community.
"We are Illinoisans, and the Illinois EPA needs to protect Illinois residents. They do what they can to get all the money they can get. They don’t know the people. They don’t care about the people. They don’t care about the community. It’s all about the money,” Rosenberger said.
Illinois EPA officials said Broadwing’s application was deemed complete and meets applicable state and federal environmental regulations. However, many community members questioned how the EPA would ensure the power plant operates properly and protect the community.
"That is technically outside the scope of this permit for this evening, so we really can’t speak to that," said Illinois EPA Spokesperson Kim Biggs.
However, the draft permit shows Broadwing would be required to carefully log data and share it with the Illinois EPA. The agency has one year from the completed permit application date to make a final decision on Broadwing’s permit.
The Decatur City Council approved the development agreement for the billion-dollar plant in February.
Copyright 2026. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
