In 2025, the University of Illinois Climate Jobs Institute launched the Illinois Coal Workers & Communities Listening Project. This multi-disciplinary research initiative centers the experiences of Illinois coal workers and community members who lived through plant and mine closures — or are preparing for them now. The Listening Project asks: What does a just transition look like for Illinois coalfield communities that hold complex relationships with the industry and continue to face its environmental, economic, and social legacies?
The Listening Project begins from the belief that Illinois coalfield communities should directly inform policymaking and planning as the state works toward the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and a clean energy transition. We frame our research through the following goals.
Listen and Learn: We listen to coal workers, community members, and environmental advocates to understand how the coal industry has shaped their lives.
Inform Better Policy: We analyze what’s worked (and what hasn’t) in Illinois and other states. By understanding the impact of closures and listening to people’s experiences, we recommend policies that meet communities’ needs.
Preserve Stories: Through oral histories and multimedia projects, we document Illinois coalfield stories, helping inform the future and ensuring no one is forgotten.
Engage the Next Generation: We partner with schools and students to bring local history and energy transition work into the classroom – building bridges across generations.
While energy systems change, people and places need a future – and that future must be built with care, respect, and a deep understanding of what’s being lost, and what could be gained.
Contact us
The Climate Jobs Institute leads the Listening Project in collaboration with experts from Prairie Rivers Network, Harlem High School Documentary Project, University of Illinois Department of Urban & Regional Planning, Extension, Humanities Research Institute and Labor Education Program.
Do you have questions about the Listening Project? Are you interested in partnering with us or discussing ways you can be involved? Email Emily Guske at eguske2@illinois.edu or call her at 217-244-7631.
Are you a current or former coal worker, a family member, or a resident of a coal community? We want to hear your story. Sign up to give an oral history.