{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Citizens Utility Board","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org","title":"In 2024, CUB celebrates 40 years of fighting for consumers | Citizens Utility Board","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"s2XJcAuivn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2024\/01\/12\/in-2024-cub-celebrates-its-40th\/\">In 2024, CUB celebrates 40 years of fighting for consumers<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2024\/01\/12\/in-2024-cub-celebrates-its-40th\/embed\/#?secret=s2XJcAuivn\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;In 2024, CUB celebrates 40 years of fighting for consumers&#8221; &#8212; Citizens Utility Board\" data-secret=\"s2XJcAuivn\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","description":"Remember how bad it was before the Citizens Utility Board (CUB)? It was the spring of 1983, and Gov.\u00a0 \u201cBig Jim\u201d Thompson was in a packed theater in southern Illinois pitching a tax increase\u2014but people were more interested in what he would do about utility bills. What he said sparked applause from 200 Belleville-area residents. \u201cLet\u2019s have a citizens utility board,\u201d said Thompson, virtually assuring that the CUB Act, then before the General Assembly, would become law. He would sign it less than five months later, on Sept. 20, 1983. It was the culmination of more than a year of hard work by consumers fed up with high utility bills, including 34-year-old activist Pat Quinn, who railed against \u201can unprecedented series of back-breaking\u201d utility increases. He led a statewide referendum movement in favor of creating a consumer watchdog group for utility customers. At the time, the idea was gaining popularity nationwide thanks to consumer advocates like Ralph Nader. In Illinois, the headlines were dark those days. Facing criticism about cost over-runs, ComEd, which boosted profits by 35 percent in 1982, had a \u201ccontinuing need for higher rates\u201d largely fueled by power plant construction, the Chicago Tribune reported. The next summer, one Sunday front page warned: \u201cUtility rates expected to double in 3 years.\u201d There was talk of \u201ca utility price disaster.\u201d No wonder frustration was palpable. \u201cSend the flunky home!\u201d someone shouted as a utility official tried to speak at one community meeting. &nbsp; The birth of CUB came after advisory referendums were placed on the ballots of communities throughout Illinois, thanks to the petition efforts of citizens.\u00a0In November 1982, Chicago voted 4-1 in favor of a CUB, and in April 111 Illinois communities followed suit\u2014sometimes by a pro-CUB margin of 14-1. Such \u201cwhopping margins give us a lot of momentum to go down to the legislature,\u201d Quinn said at the time. He was right: By late May 1983 the House and Senate, which had observed the results of the advisory referendums, had both passed the CUB Act, setting the stage for Thompson\u2019s signing. CUB opened its doors in 1984. That year, the watchdog received a\u00a0$100,000 state start-up loan, which the group paid back with, interest within two years. The rest is history. Quinn, of course, went on to serve as governor and CUB went on to help save consumers more than $20 billion. &nbsp;","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Old-CUB-Photo-use-300x150.jpg"}