CUB’s Sarah Moskowitz speaks at a news conference, Sept. 30, urging the Illinois General Assembly to pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act to help prevent future electricity price spikes. “Illinois faces a long road of rapidly escalating power bills if we don’t act now. For the sake of our power bills, we must pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act,” she said.
Amid an electricity price spike sparked by unprecedented power demand, CUB joined other advocates to urge the Illinois General Assembly to pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act (SB25) in the October veto session. The legislation would implement a number of reforms to help reduce power prices and lower consumers’ utility bills in the long run.
“Illinoisans are hurting from electricity price spikes – we call on state leaders to act and protect consumers by getting the CRGA Act across the finish line,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said at a news conference. “Illinois urgently needs the CRGA Act because it would expand energy efficiency programs and add more battery storage projects to the power grid to help bring down electricity prices and lower bills.”
The Fall Veto Session is Oct. 14-16 and 28-30. “Illinois faces a long road of rapidly escalating power bills if we don’t act now. For the sake of our power bills, we must pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act,” Moskowitz added.
Illinois has made historic steps forward in securing clean and affordable energy for consumers thanks in large part to the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), but the state now faces unprecedented energy challenges. After two decades of relatively steady demand, electricity usage is now skyrocketing due to power-hungry data centers. What’s more, poor regional and national policy hampers Illinois’ progress. Over the summer, Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill that at the end of the year will phase out solar and energy efficiency tax incentives that have helped consumers make home improvements to reduce their utility bills. Also, regional power grid operators have failed to quickly connect the most affordable resources to the power grid. As a result, painful price spikes have slammed Ameren and Commonwealth Edison customers across Illinois.
“The Illinois General Assembly and Governor’s Office have been working hard over the past year to get Illinois’ energy policy right. We know that the answer to rising electricity costs is to continue to implement CEJA and pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act,” said state Rep. Ann Williams, who spoke at the news conference. “The CRGA Act accelerates clean energy resources like energy efficiency and battery storage, which are cost-effective and strengthen our energy grid, while also removing barriers to clean energy deployment and giving Illinoisans tools to save money on their electricity bills. This bill is ready to be voted on this veto session and now is the time for action.”
The CRGA Act offers a comprehensive plan to meet the challenges facing our electric grid by making investments that prioritize affordability and reliability for consumers and businesses. Among its commonsense provisions, the legislation would:
- Add 3 gigawatts (GW) of battery storage to the system, enough to power millions of homes and help bring down energy prices. Battery storage is like insurance for our power grid. By making smart, cost-effective investments in battery storage, Illinois can make our power grid more resilient and reduce costs for consumers from volatile energy markets.
- Give ratepayers tools to reduce their utility bills like increasing access to rebates to weatherize homes and purchase efficient appliances and increasing funds for low-income energy efficiency programs. The cheapest and cleanest energy is the energy that is never used. For every $1 invested in energy efficiency, consumers get an estimated $2 back in system-wide benefits, like avoiding energy costs and expensive grid upgrades on new electric load.
- Launch a “virtual power plant” initiative to pool thousands of small solar and storage projects to replace dirty, outdated, and expensive power plants.
- Strengthen the power grid by promoting improvements to transmission infrastructure, maximizing the amount of clean electricity power lines can carry through grid-enhancing technologies, and reducing bottlenecks in the process to develop and improve transmission lines.
Clean Power Lake County Executive Director Mayra Mendez said: “The CRGA Act can help protect communities like mine so we are no longer abused by expensive, dirty coal and gas plants that drive up utility prices in our area, making it hard for families to make ends meet.”
The central tenet to the CRGA Act is consumer savings. An Illinois Power Agency analysis found that, even under the most conservative estimates, the CRGA Act would lead to lower bills for consumers across Illinois. Ameren Illinois customer savings will range from $5.48 per month to $12.15 per month by 2030 and rise to $13.82 per month to $20.54 per month by 2035. ComEd customer savings will range from $1.52 per month to $2.32 per month by 2030 and $7.89 per month to $8.52 per month by 2035.
“The major reason we support the Clean and Reliable Grid Act is that it would lower our electric bills,” Moskowitz said. “An analysis by the Illinois Power Agency found that even under the most conservative estimates, the CRGA Act would reduce bills across Illinois. By 2035 annual savings would increase to a range of about $95-$250 over the year for electric customers.”
Mayra Mendez, a Waukegan resident and executive director of the advocacy group Clean Power Lake County, said her community has suffered through a long history of being battered by pollution–it’s home to five superfund sites and a coal plant. “Now, with the rise of data centers and skyrocketing electric bills, folks in Waukegan are reminded once again that it’s vital to build more clean energy and to bring more wind, solar, and battery projects to the grid,” she said at the news conference. “The CRGA Act can help protect communities like mine so we are no longer abused by expensive, dirty coal and gas plants that drive up utility prices in our area, making it hard for families to make ends meet. That’s why it’s so critical that we pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act this fall.”
Act now:
- Send a message to Springfield in favor of the CRGA Act.
- Read CUB’s CRGA Act fact sheet.
- Watch a recording of the news conference.
- Read the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition news release.
