{"id":17668,"date":"2019-04-18T09:38:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T14:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/?page_id=17668"},"modified":"2021-03-15T12:21:06","modified_gmt":"2021-03-15T17:21:06","slug":"clean-energy-jobs-act","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/clean-energy-jobs-act\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Clean Energy Jobs Act?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;What is the Clean Energy Jobs Act?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h6><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><ul class=\"icon \"><li><i class=\"fa fa-caret-right\"><\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/CEJA.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>PDF version of this fact sheet<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) is comprehensive clean energy legislation (Senate Bill 1718\/House Bill 804) currently before the Illinois General Assembly. CEJA would boost energy efficiency standards, take advantage of the falling cost of wind and solar power, and protect the state from a federal regulatory ruling that could hit most Illinois consumers with up to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1.7 billion in higher power bills over the next decade<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. CEJA is the only energy legislation in Springfield that could secure savings for consumers while significantly ramping up renewable energy development in the state\u2014and it does all this\u00a0while holding Illinois utilities accountable to their customers.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699797969{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Why does Illinois need CEJA?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thanks to a series of groundbreaking clean energy laws, Illinois has gone from the highest electric bills in the country to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2019\/11\/02\/illinois-power-bills-lowest-in-the-midwest-again\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">some of the lowest<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. But electricity generating companies that use fossil fuels don\u2019t like cleaner sources of energy\u2014such as wind and solar\u2014eating into their profits. In recent years, they have been working in Washington and Springfield to stop Illinois\u2019 clean energy development. It is critical that we pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act to preserve what we have accomplished and improve upon it.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699797969{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;What would the Clean Energy Jobs Act do?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key CEJA provisions would:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Implement electricity market reforms to reduce power bills.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expand electric and gas efficiency programs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Secure 100% carbon-free power by 2030, and 100% renewable energy by 2050.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expand vehicle electrification so more people have access to cleaner, more\u00a0affordable transportation.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase clean energy careers across Illinois.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Align utility regulation with state and consumer priorities, ensuring more transparency and\u00a0accountability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; align=&#8221;align_left&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699807900{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;How would CEJA cut costs?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bill contains multiple provisions to help lower our utility bills:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Capacity Market Reform.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CEJA would put the Illinois Power Agency\u2014a state agency\u2014in charge of running a special electricity market for northern Illinois.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Why is this important?<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> We pay power plant operators for the commitment to have enough electricity available if demand spikes, like on a hot summer afternoon. This is called capacity. So you not only pay for the power you use now, but you also pay for capacity\u2014the power you could use in the future. The price for capacity for ComEd customers is determined by auctions run by PJM Interconnection, the power grid operator for northern Illinois and all or part of 12 other states. The auction process has<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2020\/03\/23\/new-reports-finds-were-overpaying-for-capacity-by-4-4-billion\/\">needlessly inflated Illinois electric bills<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in recent years, and now fossil fuel generators have pushed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to revamp capacity market rules to funnel more money to their dirty power plants. This move could raise Illinois power bills by up to $1.7 billion over the next decade.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> By tasking the IPA <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with running the capacity market for northern Illinois, the state would be in charge of its own clean energy policy, creating the opportunity to save consumers money while greatly expanding renewable energy investment in the state.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Energy efficiency.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CEJA expands energy efficiency programs that have already saved consumers billions of dollars.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Why is this important?<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA), groundbreaking energy legislation passed in 2016, required Illinois\u2019 largest electric utilities to launch one of the nation\u2019s most ambitious plans for customer electricity savings. Under FEJA, ComEd must develop and enhance customer efficiency programs to cut electricity waste by a record 21.5 percent, and Ameren by 16 percent, by 2030. For the first time, big utilities have an incentive to meet their efficiency goals, with bonuses for exceeding targets and penalties for falling short. The Natural Resources Defense Council conducted an analysis that estimated that FEJA\u2019s energy efficiency provisions could lead to up to $7 billion in consumer savings. CEJA would improve upon the efficiency standards established by the FEJA by applying those standards to natural gas bills.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Guaranteed cost savings.<\/strong><b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CEJA contains a consumer protection adjustment.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Why is this important?<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> CEJA\u2019s \u201cconsumer protection adjustment\u201d guarantees cost savings for ComEd customers over what they currently pay for electricity. The bill locks in a combined 5 percent savings on the following charges: energy, capacity, zero emissions credits (ZECs), and renewable energy credits (RECs). For 2018\/2019, for example, ComEd customers would have saved a minimum of $250 million under this provision. The 5 percent savings is a minimum. Customer savings could be greater.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Reducing peak demand.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CEJA would direct the Illinois Power Agency to develop a plan to cut electricity demand through programs that promote energy storage, efficiency, and special rate plans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Why is this important?<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> High electricity demand increases electricity market prices and forces Illinois consumers to pay for expensive, new power plant construction. But programs that lower \u201cpeak demand\u201d\u2014when electricity demand is at its highest\u2014can decrease our costs by billions of dollars.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Vehicle Electrification.<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CEJA would increase the development of EV ride-sharing, electrified public transportation and EV charging stations. It would also create a \u201cbeneficial electrification\u201d program with policies designed to entice people into charging their electric vehicles during times when electricity demand is low.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Why is this important?<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Policies that prevent a spike in demand have the potential to make the power grid more reliable and reduce electricity bills for everyone\u2014even those who don\u2019t own an EV. In fact, a CUB study found that Illinois <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Charging-Ahead-Deriving-Value-from-Electric-Vehicles-for-All-Electricity-Customers-v6-031419.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">could reap $2.6 billion in cumulative consumer savings<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> over the next decade if the state implements smart EV policies.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; align=&#8221;align_left&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699807900{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;How would CEJA hold utilities accountable?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]CEJA\u2019s accountability provisions would:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>End formula rate hikes. Setting ComEd and Ameren rates by formula\u2014a system\u00a0that lacks adequate consumer protections\u2014would be replaced with a system in\u00a0which state regulators only approve utility programs and rates that are cost-effective.<\/li>\n<li>Require utilities to pursue affordability as a goal, and they would only make\u00a0more money if they do a better job.<\/li>\n<li>Create an independent monitor to ensure ethics compliance by all public utilities.<\/li>\n<li>Provide restitution for customers. In the wake of the ethics scandal, ComEd\u00a0shareholders would have to repurpose ill-gained profits for programs for\u00a0communities in need.<\/li>\n<li>Prohibit the use of customer funds\u00a0to cover expenses tied to federal ethics\u00a0investigations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; align=&#8221;align_left&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699807900{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Other important parts of CEJA would:&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attract more than $30 billion in private investment in clean energy and spark thousands of\u00a0jobs.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create \u201cClean Jobs Workforce Hubs,\u201d a network of frontline organizations providing workforce training across Illinois for economically disadvantaged communities and former fossil fuel workers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expand the Illinois Solar for All program to ensure low- and moderate-income communities see the benefits of new community solar projects. It would also create incentives to expand access to rooftop solar.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide a fund for energy efficiency contractors to address health and safety issues\u2014such as mold, asbestos and leaks\u2014that prevent them from completing low-income home efficiency projects. Better efficiency lowers costs for everyone on the grid.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; align=&#8221;align_left&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699807900{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Who supports CEJA?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]CUB is part of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, a group of more than 200 consumer advocates, green businesses and community leaders that all support CEJA.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For more information<\/strong>:\u00a0Keep track of Illinois policy developments at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/\"><strong>CitizensUtilityBoard.org<\/strong><\/a>, where you can sign up to receive action alerts about utility-related pocketbook issues.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;What is the Clean Energy Jobs Act?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][vc_column_text] [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]The Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) is comprehensive clean energy legislation (Senate Bill 1718\/House Bill 804) currently before the Illinois General Assembly. CEJA would boost energy efficiency standards, take advantage of the falling cost of wind and solar power, and protect the state from a federal regulatory ruling that could hit most Illinois consumers with up to $1.7 billion in higher power bills over the next decade. CEJA is the only energy legislation in Springfield that could secure savings for consumers while significantly ramping up renewable energy development in the state\u2014and it does all this\u00a0while holding Illinois utilities accountable to their customers.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699797969{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Why does Illinois need CEJA?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]Thanks to a series of groundbreaking clean energy laws, Illinois has gone from the highest electric bills in the country to some of the lowest. But electricity generating companies that use fossil fuels don\u2019t like cleaner sources of energy\u2014such as wind and solar\u2014eating into their profits. In recent years, they have been working in Washington and Springfield to stop Illinois\u2019 clean energy development. It is critical that we pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act to preserve what we have accomplished and improve upon it.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699797969{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;What would the Clean Energy Jobs Act do?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]Key CEJA provisions would: Implement electricity market reforms to reduce power bills. Expand electric and gas efficiency programs. Secure 100% carbon-free power by 2030, and 100% renewable energy by 2050. Expand vehicle electrification so more people have access to cleaner, more\u00a0affordable transportation. Increase clean energy careers across Illinois. Align utility regulation with state and consumer priorities, ensuring more transparency and\u00a0accountability. [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=&#8221;custom&#8221; align=&#8221;align_left&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1475699807900{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}&#8221;][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;How would CEJA cut costs?&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left&#8221; use_theme_fonts=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;5\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]The bill contains multiple provisions to help lower our utility bills: Capacity Market Reform. CEJA would put the Illinois Power Agency\u2014a state agency\u2014in charge of running a special electricity market for northern Illinois.\u00a0 Why is this important? We pay power plant operators for the commitment to have enough electricity available if demand spikes, like on a hot summer afternoon. This is called capacity. So you not only pay for the power you use now, but you also pay for capacity\u2014the power you could use in the future. The price for capacity for ComEd customers is determined by auctions run by PJM Interconnection, the power grid operator for northern Illinois and all or part of 12 other states. The auction process has\u00a0needlessly inflated Illinois electric bills in recent years, and now fossil fuel generators have pushed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to revamp capacity market rules to funnel more money to their dirty power plants. This move could raise Illinois power bills by up to $1.7 billion over the next decade. By tasking the IPA with running the capacity market for northern Illinois, the state would be in charge of its own clean energy policy, creating the opportunity to save consumers money while greatly expanding renewable energy investment in the state. Energy efficiency. CEJA expands energy efficiency programs that have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-17668","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17668\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}