House Bill 4508 has passed the Illinois House of Representatives and moves to the state Senate. We need your help to defeat this legislation, which allows big water companies to expand while customers foot the bill.
CUB opposes this bill: When the nation’s biggest private water companies get their hands on municipal water systems they often raise rates.
Five years ago the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation allowing private water companies (Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois) to automatically raise rates in order to buy municipal water systems. Now that bill is up for renewal — only this version removes the limits on the size of systems that the water utilities can buy.
The Chicago Tribune reported that some Illinois communities are so fed up with high water rates they are trying to buy back a pipeline from Illinois American Water.
This bill makes powerful corporations even more powerful as they march across the state to buy up municipal systems. Please, tell your senator to vote NO on HB 4508.
Further reading:
The Herald-Whig: Few warm to Quincy water system sale
Bloomberg: Private Water Firms Tap Profit From Struggling Public Utilities
