1.0Citizens Utility Boardhttps://www.citizensutilityboard.orgrich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="c6UvITDzZD"><a href="https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/blog/2021/09/13/general-assembly-passes-historic-energy-bill-now-begins-the-hard-work-of-implementing/">General Assembly passes historic energy bill: Now begins the hard work of implementation</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/blog/2021/09/13/general-assembly-passes-historic-energy-bill-now-begins-the-hard-work-of-implementing/embed/#?secret=c6UvITDzZD" width="600" height="338" title="“General Assembly passes historic energy bill: Now begins the hard work of implementation” — Citizens Utility Board" data-secret="c6UvITDzZD" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !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); /* ]]> */ </script> The General Assembly has passed landmark energy legislation that consumer and environmental advocates have worked for years to achieve. The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act puts Illinois on a path to 100 percent clean energy while implementing the strongest utility ethics reforms and energy efficiency provisions in state history. And it aims to provide a spark to the economy by bringing thousands of clean energy jobs to communities that need it the most. “The General Assembly’s passage of the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act is a victory for consumers and the environment. This comprehensive clean energy legislation ensures that, as Illinois mounts an urgently needed defense against catastrophic climate change, the state is on a path to achieve an affordable clean energy future and hold utilities more accountable, ” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said in a statement. “Without this blueprint, Illinois consumers were destined to pay higher electricity bills as climate change continued unchecked and the costs of long-term capacity reserves in energy markets escalated.” The act (Senate Bill 2408) passed the House 83 to 33 Sept. 9, and the Senate 37 to 17 on Sept. 13. (See how your senator and your representative voted.) Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has championed comprehensive energy legislation, signed the bill into law on Sept. 15 in a ceremony at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. (Watch CUB’s Facebook Live about the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act.) CUB, as a member of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, had worked for passage of the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act, which in itself was a historic clean energy breakthrough. For the last two years, the coalition–a group of 200 consumer, business and environmental groups–supported the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) as the best way to protect consumers’ utility bills and fight climate change by moving to 100 percent clean energy. The coalition added strong utility accountability provisions to the legislation after 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. CEJA was one of about a half-dozen energy bills being considered by the Illinois General Assembly. The governor, who in January of 2020, called for energy legislation that would put “consumers and climate first,” re-started negotiations earlier this year to develop a compromise bill. As with any compromise bill, CUB doesn’t support everything in it, but if implemented correctly the legislation will be a big net win for consumers. A summary of provisions in the bill is below.  (The Clean Jobs Coalition also has a breakdown of the bill.) Responsible path toward 100 percent clean energy: Moving Illinois—and the nation—to 100 percent clean energy will be a complex process. The act calls for: Achieving a carbon-free power grid by 2045. It would eliminate most coal- and oil-fired power generation by 2030, and require pollution-reduction targets for the municipally owned Prairie State and Dallman coal plants. They would have to reduce their carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2035, and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Increases support for renewable energy to reach 40 percent by 2030 and 50 […]https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/20210609_DontGiveUp-1.png1200675