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Enough Is Enough!
Monday, January 10, 2011—Just days after state legislators passed a bill, SB 3388, that could significantly increase consumer heating bills for years to come, the Illinois Senate is considering yet another proposal, SB 1927, that could raise those bills even more.
Crain's: Bills Threaten To Force Illinois Consumers To Shoulder High Gas Prices Read coverage in Crain's Chicago Business and the Chicago Tribune. Here’s some background on SB 3388 and SB 1927, as the bills are written:
- Would unfairly burden residential and small-business natural gas customers with the cost of a $3 billion coal-to-gas plant in Chicago (SB 3388) and a $1 billion plant in southern Illinois (SB 1927).
- Combined, the plants would account for about 18 percent of the state's total natural gas demand at up to double the current wholesale market cost. Because large businesses aren't required to buy natural gas from the utilities, residential and small-business customers would shoulder an even higher percentage of the load.
- SB 1927 would require Ameren, Nicor, North Shore, and Peoples Gas to enter into 10-year contacts to buy gas from the plant, located in Jefferson County, with prices capped at just under $1 per therm. That's more than double the current market rate.
- SB 3388 would require Ameren, Nicor, North Shore, and Peoples Gas to enter into a 30-year contracts to each buy 25 percent of the plant’s natural gas output each year, at potentially higher-than-market rates. That means customers of smaller utilities, like North Shore Gas, would be forced to buy a much greater percentage of their total gas supply from the plant, and saddle their customers with higher rates.
- SB 3388 doesn't cap rates and places all of the costs on residential and small-business utility customers.
CUB staffers are working in Springfield to improve the bills. Update on SB 1927 The House passed the bill on Friday, Jan. 7, by a vote of 83-31. See how your representative voted. The measure now moves to the state Senate, where a vote is expected soon. Update on SB 3388 The House passed the bill in November. In the first week of January, more than 2,200 consumers responded to CUB's appeal to contact their legislators about the measure, but the Illinois Senate passed the proposal, called a "raw deal" by the Chicago Tribune, on Wednesday, January 5. The measure now goes to Gov. Quinn for his consideration. See how your senators voted on SB 3388 below. A "Yea" vote means the senator voted for the bill; a "Nay" vote means the senator voted against the bill; and a "Present" vote means the senator neither voted for or against the bill. State of Illinois 96th General Assembly
Senate Bill No. 3388 Senator
Vote
Pamela J. Althoff
Yea
Tim Bivins
Nay
Larry K. Bomke
Yea
Michael Bond
Did not vote
Bill Brady
Yea
J. Bradley Burzynski
Yea
James F. Clayborne, Jr.
Yea
Jacqueline Y. Collins
Present
M. Maggie Crotty
Yea
William Delgado
Present
Deanna Demuzio
Nay
Kirk W. Dillard
Yea
Dan Duffy
Nay
Gary Forby
Did not vote
Michael W. Frerichs
Did not vote
Susan Garrett
Nay
William R. Haine
Nay
Don Harmon
Yea
Rickey R. Hendon
Yea
Linda Holmes
Yea
Mattie Hunter
Yea
Toi W. Hutchinson
Did not vote
Mike Jacobs
Yea
Thomas Johnson
Yea
Emil Jones, III
Yea
John O. Jones
Yea
David Koehler
Yea
Dan Kotowski
Yea
Chris Lauzen
Yea
Kimberly A. Lightford
Did not vote
Terry Link
Nay
David Luechtefeld
Yea
Edward D. Maloney
Yea
Iris Y. Martinez
Present
Kyle McCarter
Nay
James T. Meeks
Yea
John J. Millner
Yea
John G. Mulroe
Yea
Antonio Muñoz
Yea
Matt Murphy
Yea
Michael Noland
Yea
Carole Pankau
Nay
Christine Radogno
Nay
Kwame Raoul
Yea
Sue Rezin
Nay
Dale A. Righter
Nay
Dale E. Risinger
Yea
Dan Rutherford
Yea
Ronald Sandack
Did not vote
Martin A. Sandoval
Present
Jeffrey M. Schoenberg
Nay
Ira I. Silverstein
Yea
Heather Steans
Nay
John M. Sullivan
Yea
Dave Syverson
Yea
Donne E. Trotter
Yea
Louis S. Viverito
Yea
A. J. Wilhelmi
Yea
President John J. Cullerton
Yea
Yeas
36
Nays
13
Present
4
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