"Chicago's two coal-fired power plants will shut down sooner than expected under a deal to be announced today by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and environmental groups."

"Midwest Generation will close the Fisk plant in the Pilsen neighborhood by December and the Crawford plant in Little Village by the end of 2014, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by the Tribune. Companies have mothballed nearly 100 other coal plants across the nation in recent years amid competition from abundant and relatively cheap natural gas and more stringent federal air pollution limits.

Under a 2006 deal with state regulators, prompted by a Tribune investigation, Midwest Generation had agreed to clean up or shut down the Chicago coal plants by 2018.

Environmental groups pushed for tighter deadlines and enlisted a majority of Chicago alderman to push an ordinance that would force Midwest Generation to substantially reduce lung- and heart-damaging air pollution emitted by the two plants."

Michael Hawthorne and Kristen Mack report for the Chicago Tribune February 29, 2012. [2]