{"id":43520,"date":"2025-08-28T16:04:21","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T21:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/?p=43520"},"modified":"2025-08-28T17:50:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T22:50:11","slug":"icc-forum-in-springfield-gives-ameren-illinois-customers-chance-to-protest-utilitys-push-for-fourth-gas-rate-hike-in-just-seven-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2025\/08\/28\/icc-forum-in-springfield-gives-ameren-illinois-customers-chance-to-protest-utilitys-push-for-fourth-gas-rate-hike-in-just-seven-years\/","title":{"rendered":"ICC forums in Springfield, East St. Louis give Ameren Illinois customers chance to protest utility\u2019s push for fourth gas rate hike in just 7 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Illinois Commerce Commission forums in Springfield <\/strong><\/a>and East St. Louis<\/strong><\/a> give Ameren customers an opportunity to speak out against their utility\u2019s $131.1 million gas rate-hike request\u2013what would be the fourth rate hike the company has received in less than a decade.<\/p>\n

The ICC’s forums were requested by Illinois PIRG. One was held in Springfield Wednesday night, Aug. 27, and another was scheduled for East St. Louis Thursday night, Aug. 28.<\/p>\n

Consumer watchdogs, including PIRG and the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), have warned<\/strong><\/a> that Ameren\u2019s rate-hike plan would raid consumers for nearly triple the amount the utility can possibly justify under state law. Representatives of CUB and PIRG will be available for interviews in advance and on-site.<\/p>\n

Those who couldn’t make the forums can voice opposition to the rate hike by signing a petition or filing a public comment with the ICC at CUBActionCenter.com<\/a><\/u><\/strong>. More than 2,600 petition signatures and public comments have been collected to date.<\/p>\n

Ameren filed for its gas rate hike in January, sparking an 11-month rate case before the ICC (Docket #25-0084<\/a><\/u><\/strong>). The proposal would raise\u00a0average monthly residential customer bills by roughly 12 to 13 percent, or $8 to $10 per month,\u00a0according to Ameren\u2019s original public notice.<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ameren customers have expressed frustration with the company\u2019s escalating bills. This would be Ameren\u2019s fourth rate hike since 2018. In that time, the gas utility\u00a0has raised delivery rates by $202 million, or 50 percent. In that same time period (2018-2024), the Illinois utility\u2019s parent company, Ameren, has increased profits by 45 percent for a total of $6.9 billion, and Ameren Illinois\u2019 gas segment has seen its profits more than double.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis gas rate hike will be a hardship for Ameren customers,\u201d said Scott Allen, CUB\u2019s energy policy specialist. \u201cAmeren has been treating its customers like an ATM, hitting them with $200 million in rate hikes in less than a decade\u2013and now the utility wants a fourth increase and the highest shareholder profit rate of any major gas utility in Illinois. When is enough, enough? We urge the ICC to slash Ameren\u2019s rate-hike request.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite Illinois\u2019 move towards clean energy, Ameren is proposing to continue spending heavily on fossil fuel infrastructure. This business as usual approach has already led to significant rate increases for Ameren customers,\u201d said Illinois PIRG Director Abe Scarr. \u201cIt\u2019s important that regulators and Ameren hear directly from consumers, whose high utility bills are just one among many rising cost pressures.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Illinois Attorney General\u2019s Office and consumer advocates such as CUB and PIRG have argued that Ameren\u2019s rate-hike request is unjust and unreasonable. CUB and the Illinois Attorney General alone have uncovered about $82 million in overcharges. Taking all consumer advocates\u2019 recommendations into account, the rate hike should be cut by about two-thirds, at least.<\/p>\n

Examples of problems advocates have identified:<\/p>\n