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Call Your Lawmakers

Burning fossil fuels is the leading cause of climate change and Illinois’ five state funded pension funds own billions in fossil fuel assets. Now is the time to divest the Illinois pensions from fossil fuels to fight the climate crisis! We can’t do this without you.

How to Take Action

Call your Illinois State Representative and Senator!

Urge them to support the Illinois Fossil Fuel Divestment Act (SB0130 / HB3961). This important legislation would require Illinois’ five state-funded pension systems to:

  1. immediately stop investing in new fossil fuel assets

  2. divest from existing fossil fuel holdings within five years

Instructions for calling your state representative and senator

Find Your State Representative and Senator contact info this legislator lookup.

  • Follow the directions on the page to find your legislators telephone numbers. Make your phone calls using the script below.

  • If you are having trouble using the legislator lookup, see the trouble shooting instructions below the script

Phone Script For Senators

Hi, my name is (your name) and I live in Senator’s (Your senator) district. I’m calling to urge the Senator to co-sponsor the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act (SB0130)sponsored by Senator Adriane Johnson. The Act would require Illinois’ five state-funded pension systems to immediately stop investing in new fossil fuel assets, and to divest current fossil fuel holdings within five years. Thank you in advance for helping safeguard these pensions for the future.

Phone Script For Representatives

Hi, my name is (your name) and I live in Representative's (Your representative) district. I’m calling to urge the Representative to co-sponsor the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act (HB3961) sponsored by Representative Will Guzzardi. The Act would require Illinois’ five state-funded pension systems to immediately stop investing in new fossil fuel assets, and to divest current fossil fuel holdings within five years. Thank you in advance for helping safeguard these pensions for the future

Trouble shooting

  1. Type in your address & zipcode, then click/tap on the “Find Your Officials” blue button; the list will appear below the blue button

  2. Scroll down – or click/tap the “Illinois” link – to jump to your Illinois elected officials

  3. Find your State Senator, for example, and click/tap the tiny blue arrow (if using your phone) or the “more…” link to view his/her additional contact information

  4. Addresses for both their Capital office in Springfield and their local office include a phone number, which is a live link

  5. IF you are using your phone, click/tap on the phone number to immediately ring-up that office.

  6. Note: your legislator’s page also includes a series of icons that provide other ways to contact and/or find out more about this person. These icons include social media sites, email, their official website, and their “contact me” page where you can leave a comment.

Why Divest?

Nearly a million people in Illinois depend on State-managed pension funds for their retirement. But fossil fuel stocks have been underperforming the overall stock market over the past 10 years, exhibiting the highest volatility of any sector.

We also know that the burning of fossil fuels is adversely impacting the health of our communities, our economy, and our planet. It is the #1 source of climate change via greenhouse gas emissions. Illinois is a climate leader nationwide, committed to 100% carbon free power by 2045 through the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and through the recent passage of the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act.

Other states have addressed their pension funds—California, Maine, and Oregon—and several other states are considering similar measures. Notably, three New York City-funded pension funds completed the divestment of nearly $4 billion from fossil fuel assets in 2022. Plus, according to state law, Illinois taxpayers will have to address the shortfall in the pension funds if they underperform.

This bill is a Win-Win-Win for the State of Illinois and its residents:

  • A Win for Illinois Pensioners concerned about their retirement nest egg

  • A Win for the Planet by protecting it for future generations

  • A Win for Illinois Taxpayers who would have to pay for underperforming fossil fuel investments

Please call your Illinois State Representatives and Senators and ask them to add their name as a cosponsor of the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act. We must safeguard these pensions for the future.

Further reading