Springfield Archives | Citizens Utility Board

CUB joins legislative champions in Springfield to urge passage of Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act

Jim Chilsen — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 17:07:48 +0000

With consumers and the power grid facing unprecedented threats–including price spikes, surging demand sparked by data centers, and poor regional policy–legislative champions joined with consumer advocates on Tuesday to urge the Illinois General Assembly to pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act (SB2473/HB3779). Please: Act now to protect our power bills and our power grid: Urge Springfield to support the CRGA Act. Watch the livestream of Tuesday’s Springfield news conference in which CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz and other supporters explain why the CRGA Act is needed. Here’s the situation: Illinois’ power grid is struggling to keep pace with a surge in demand for energy, largely caused by data centers. Yet, at a time when clean, affordable energy is most needed, power grid operators in Illinois–Regional Transmission Organizations PJM Interconnection and and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO)–are years behind schedule in connecting clean energy projects to the grid that could power millions of homes. As a result, Illinois electric customers are increasingly threatened with poor grid reliability and unexpected price spikes–including one about to hit ComEd customers on June 1. Illinois passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2021, historic, nation-leading legislation that aims for 100 percent clean energy by 2050. But with these unprecedented threats, consumer and environmental advocates want to build on the progress of CEJA by passing the CRGA Act. “Too often Illinois electricity customers face price spikes because of poor policy from power grid operators PJM and MISO,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said. “The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) was a historic step toward 100 percent clean, affordable energy, but our work isn’t done. The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act is urgently needed legislation that builds on CEJA and is good for our power grid and good for our power bills.” The CRGA Act offers a comprehensive suite of commonsense solutions to meet the challenges facing our electric grid while prioritizing affordability for consumers. Among many provisions, the CRGA Act would: Strengthen energy efficiency by increasing the access to rebates to weatherize homes and purchase efficient appliances like HVAC systems and water heaters. Requires new large-scale data centers to cover their own grid interconnection costs and energy needs and bring in new clean energy. It also creates a process for regulators to set rules ensuring residential electric customers are not harmed by these energy-guzzling facilities. Strengthen the power grid by promoting improvements to transmission infrastructure, maximize the amount of clean electricity power lines can carry (through grid-enhancing technologies), and reduce bottlenecks in the process to develop and improve transmission lines. Expand clean, affordable energy by launching an Energy Storage Procurement Program, which directs the Illinois Power Agency to create a long-term energy storage procurement plan to meet future energy goals, and give more households, nonprofit groups and public facilities access to battery storage. (Battery storage is important because it can store solar and wind energy for use even during times when clean energy isn’t being produced.) Launch a “virtual power plant” initiative to pool thousands of small solar and storage projects to replace dirty, outdated, and expensive power […]

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Act now for our power bills, our power grid – Support the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act

Elizabeth — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 18:22:39 +0000

We need your help to push for new legislation–the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act–which would implement a number of reforms that are good for clean, affordable and reliable electricity. As you know, ComEd customers are set to pay higher supply prices on June 1, due to poor policy from the organization, PJM Interconnection, that runs northern Illinois’ power grid. This organization–as well as the other power grid operator in Illinois, MISO– tends to favor expensive fossil fuel power plans, at our expense. But the CRGA Act would implement a wide range of reforms. Among other things, it would improve: Improve energy efficiency for all customers. Promote wise power grid planning. Create a Solar Bill of Rights to protect people who want to install money-saving solar panels from unfair local laws. Give people access to flexible “time of use” electricity rates so they can save money during the day when market power prices are low. Our power grid is in need of a number of reforms at the regional and federal level, but the states have a role too. The CRGA Act would be a significant step in the right direction–it’s part of the solution!. Please take action: Urge the Illinois General Assembly to support the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (Senate Bill 2473/ House Bill 3779) to protect our power bills and our power grid.

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Fighting for Illinois Consumers: CUB’s 2023 Legislative Agenda

Elizabeth — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 21:04:31 +0000

Each year CUB works on a broad range of issues related to our core mission of saving consumers money on their utility bills. CUB’s priorities for the 2023 Illinois General Assembly session include the following: HB 2541- Representative Theresa Mah: This bill would cap the profit rate of electric, gas and water utilities at 8% and equity ratio at 50%, unless the utility can prove to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) that doing so would harm consumers by increasing utility borrowing costs. The ROE and equity ratio increases ComEd is seeking for 2024 alone would inflate rates by $221 million. Increasing the profit margin for the utility does nothing to improve service for customers. Currently, in Nicor’s $320.9 million rate case the company is seeking a profit rate of 10.35% and a capital structure with 54.52% common equity. TAKE ACTION: Sign CUB’s petition to put a cap on utility ROE profits. HB 2721- Representative Dagmara Avelar: This proposed legislation would remove a surcharge from water utility bills that supercharges utility spending and thus increases the pace of consumer rate increases. Roughly 15% of Illinois American Water’s requested $100 million rate hike filed last year included fees flowing through the surcharge that were then placed into base rates. TAKE ACTION: Send a message to your state representative urging them to support HB 2721. HB 3689- Representative Michelle Mussman: Consumer’s Choice Plans are low-cost local calling plans that AT&T successfully removed from the Illinois Telecommunications Act in 2017. The phone company built the landline network under rate-of-return regulation, meaning consumers have paid for the network many times over. This bill would bring the Consumer’s Choice Plans back into law and ensure AT&T offers them. The bill would also make it easier to help the less fortunate connect to broadband by placing a “check box” on bills through which people could donate to an assistance program for internet customers in need. TAKE ACTION: Sign CUB’s petition to bring back Consumer’s Choice Plans. SB 1477- Senator Ann Gillespie: Currently, customers pay 100% of acquisition and closing costs when a private utility buys a water or sewer system. The prices paid for systems are inflated due to the “Fair Market Value” appraisal process in state law. The systems are often fully depreciated and then replaced by the private utility. The inflated purchase price paid by utilities are making bills unaffordable for consumers, as demonstrated by Illinois American Water’s $100 million rate case filed last year. This bill would make it so that shareholders pay for 80% of the purchase price, instead of the 0% they currently pay. The current water and sewer privatization model is untenable for consumers. TAKE ACTION: Send a message to your state senator urging them to support SB 1477. SB 1538- Senator Cristina Castro: This proposed legislation would sunset the Qualified Infrastructure Plant (QIP) surcharge on gas bills that has supercharged utility spending and rate increases. Of the $160 million gas rate-hike Ameren filed last month, $53.4 million has flowed through the QIP surcharge and now will be put into base rates. Peoples Gas is currently requesting an increase of $402 […]

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BREAKING: Illinois House passes nation-leading clean energy legislation

Jim Chilsen — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 13:36:10 +0000

The Illinois House late Thursday passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (Senate Bill 2408)–historic, comprehensive clean energy legislation. The legislation now heads to the Senate on Monday for a final vote. (Urge your senator to say YES to this legislation.) SB 2408 passed 83-33 in the House. The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, of which CUB is a member, called the legislation the most equitable clean energy jobs bill in the nation. It puts Illinois on a path to 100 percent clean energy while implementing utility ethics reforms and expanding energy efficiency to historic levels. With a nation-leading focus on equity, the bill aims to provide a spark to the economy by bringing thousands of clean energy jobs to communities that need it the most. “If we don’t make a sincere effort to address climate change now, it will become a bigger and bigger threat, not only to our health but also our utility bills,” CUB Communications Director Jim Chilsen said. “It takes a lot of planning and hard work to find least-cost, consumer-friendly ways to fight climate change and that’s what this bill is trying to do. There’s a lot more work to do overall to fight energy burden and climate change, but this is a big step in the right direction.” House passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act is a major milestone in a campaign that began more than three years ago, as the Clean Jobs Coalition–made up of consumer and environmental advocates–met with residents across Illinois to learn their thoughts and priorities concerning energy. (CUB traveled the state helping to hold these “Listen. Lead. Share” events.) Over the last two years, advocates wanting to pass a bill weathered delays caused by the pandemic and resistance from the fossil fuel industry. The effort to pass a strong energy bill intensified in the summer of 2020. That’s when ComEd was caught by federal prosecutors in a corruption scandal over its attempts to pass energy legislation that allowed it to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in rubber-stamped rate hikes (formula rates). After multiple attempts since May to pass strong legislation, a comprehensive bill (SB 18) passed the Illinois Senate on Sept. 1. While there was broad agreement on most of SB 18’s provisions, there were still key issues to be resolved in the House. That included a timeline for coal-fired power plants, like the municipally owned Prairie State facility in Southern Illinois and Springfield’s Dallman plant, to ratchet down their emissions for the next several years before being carbon-free by 2045. As we have reported before, failure is not an option. We have to pass comprehensive energy legislation, and here are a few reasons why: A grim report from the United Nations stressed that the world must begin now to move away from dirty energy in order to prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change. CUB’s own research shows that not only is climate change a health threat, but it also could lead to billions of dollars in higher power bills if we do nothing. “Our climate cannot wait,” House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch said on the House floor Thursday […]

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CUB, other advocates race against clock: General Assembly tries one more time to pass strong clean energy bill

Sophia — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 12:00:17 +0000

UPDATE: Early this morning, the Illinois Senate passed comprehensive clean energy legislation (Senate Bill 18) and sent it to the state House of Representatives. (The vote was 39-16-2.) That came after days of negotiations and two hearings by the Senate Committee on Energy and Public Utilities. While there is broad agreement on most of the provisions in the bill, there are still key issues that will have to be resolved in the House of Representatives, including the process for closing coal-fired power plants by 2045. CUB will update you when we know when the House is scheduled to take up the matter. In the meantime, the various parties say they’re ready to work with the House to pass legislation. Read the statement from the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition. We appreciate all the CUB supporters who have sent thousands of messages to the General Assembly in favor of strong, pro-consumer energy legislation. We know it’s been a long haul–more than two years of hard work. We’re closer than we’ve ever been, and we’re not giving up. In what could be one of the most important weeks in the history of Illinois energy policy, legislative leaders in Springfield are working to pass a comprehensive energy bill before the end of August. The question is: Will CUB and other advocates be able to achieve legislation that’s good for the planet and Illinois consumers? CUB supports a sweeping proposal by Gov. J.B. Pritzker that would contain historic provisions to hold utilities accountable, help communities most hurt by pollution enjoy the benefits of clean energy jobs, close dirty power plants by 2045 and move Illinois to 100 percent clean energy. At the beginning of the month, consumer and environmental advocates and labor leaders were at an impasse—mainly over a schedule to close coal-fired power plants. Although some progress has been made since then, the schedule to close power plants is still a sticking point, and the governor and consumer and environmental advocates opposed the first legislative proposal that was filed on Aug. 30. The hope is that Springfield can still pass strong, pro-consumer legislation before the end of August—which is midnight tonight. The stakes are high for a number of reasons: A grim report from the United Nations essentially said our backs are against the wall in terms of dealing with the most catastrophic effects of climate change and the world must begin immediately to move away from dirty energy. CUB’s own research shows that not only is climate change a health threat, but it also could lead to billions of dollars in higher power bills if we do nothing. Money to support clean, affordable solar power has dried up during the legislative standoff. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that after a state incentive program ran out of money last year, just 313 small rooftop solar projects were completed statewide in the three-month period ending June 30. That’s compared with 2,908 a year earlier. Solar had been booming in Illinois, but stumbled after these incentives from an earlier law, the Future Energy Jobs Act, ran out. In fact, if Illinois doesn’t pass a bill by the end of August, more than $300 million in […]

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Why we urge Illinois to pass strong energy legislation

Sophia — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 14:33:26 +0000

The consumer watchdog Citizens Utility Board, or CUB, is fighting to get a comprehensive, equitable energy bill passed in Illinois. A strong, pro-consumer energy bill would: Launch a responsible plan to fight climate change and work toward 100 percent clean energy by 2045. (This is an urgent need for our planet and our bottom lines. A CUB study found that unchecked climate change could lead to $10.9 billion in higher electric bills over the next 30 years.) Support low-cost clean energy and give a boost to the solar energy market. Solar has boomed in Illinois—making the state a national leader—but has sputtered after incentives from an earlier law, the Future Energy Jobs Act, ran out. Supporting clean energy creates jobs for communities that need it the most—including those abandoned by the coal industry. Replace the unfair electric formula rate-setting system with one that can provide more oversight. Allow state regulators to open an investigation into how to fairly compensate ComEd customers for the utility’s corruption scandal. (CUB is fighting in federal court for a refund, but we need to fight this battle on multiple fronts.) Create an independent ethics monitor at the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to rein in utilities. Also, require utilities to have an ethics compliance officer at their headquarters. Pave the way for cleaner, more affordable electric transportation options. Expand energy efficiency programs that have already helped lower energy bills by billions of dollars. Please, share this on your social media channels and send a message to your legislators to push a strong energy bill over the finish line this summer. For a more detailed update on developments in Springfield, please read our WatchBlog article and watch our Facebook Live.

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Working for historic energy legislation in Springfield

Sophia — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 16:00:42 +0000

Negotiations to pass legislation that would secure clean, affordable energy for Illinois and hold utilities accountable have been extended in Springfield, and at press time, negotiators were hopeful a strong bill could be passed this year, if not before the end of the summer. “I want to thank the CUB supporters who have sent thousands of messages to Springfield leaders in favor of strong clean energy legislation,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “We appreciate your patience—we’re closer than ever to passing a strong, pro-consumer energy bill.” How did we get here? For two-and-a-half years, CUB has fought for strong clean energy legislation called the Clean Energy Jobs Act, or CEJA. The ComEd corruption scandal ramped up efforts to pass the bill. At the heart of the scandal, the company won an unfair “formula” rate-setting process that has led to hundreds of millions of dollars in rate hikes. CEJA was one of a handful of energy bills proposed in 2021. As negotiations continued, Gov. J.B. Pritzker championed a compromise proposal that shared many provisions with the bill CUB supported. Why do we like the compromise proposal? The proposal would: Launch a responsible plan to fight climate change and work toward 100 percent clean energy by 2045. Support low-cost clean energy and give a boost to the solar energy market. Solar has boomed in Illinois—making the state a national leader—but has sputtered after incentives from an earlier law, the Future Energy Jobs Act, ran out. Supporting clean energy creates jobs for communities that need it the most—including those abandoned by the coal industry. Replace the unfair electric formula rate-setting system with one that can provide more oversight. Allow state regulators to open an investigation into how to fairly compensate ComEd customers for the utility’s corruption scandal. Create an independent ethics monitor at the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to rein in utilities. Pave the way for cleaner, more affordable electric transportation options. Expand energy efficiency programs that have helped lower bills by billions of dollars. So what’s left to do? Various sides have reached agreement on almost all the provisions in what would be a final bill, but at press time negotiations continued over the schedule for closing fossil fuel power plants, and a bill had not been officially introduced. Why is it important that we keep fighting? The impact of pollution on our environment is one of the biggest threats to our well-being, and it also is terrible for our electricity bills. (Read about our research on the $10.9 billion cost of climate change.) Also, ComEd’s corruption scandal heightens the urgency to pass legislation to hold utilities accountable. The New York Times recently reported on the potentially devastating consequences of climate change in Chicago, such as fluctuations in the water levels of Lake Michigan that could spark widespread flooding and property damage. In fact, the Chicagoland area has already seen instances of extreme weather with tornadoes touching down in Naperville and Rogers Park over the last year. Extreme weather has also picked up nationwide with an unprecedented Texas deep freeze, flooded subway stations in New York City, and record-breaking heat […]

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