The following is a report from CUB General Counsel Eric DeBellis to Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz on major cases CUB’s Legal Team is tackling in 2026, including $571 million in rate cases before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).
If you are concerned about these rate hikes, please take action by signing our petitions or filing a public comment against the rate hikes with the ICC.
CUB General Counsel Eric DeBellis
From: Eric DeBellis, CUB General Counsel, and Laura Loyd, Regulatory Counsel
To: CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz
Subject: CUB Casework, 2026
BREAKING: We’ve just learned of another rate-hike request, this one from MidAmerican Energy. We do not yet have all the details, but the company has said that the hike would hit gas and electric customers with an average of $24.42 a month in higher costs. In a statement, CUB said we are “deeply concerned that a combined average gas and electric increase of more than $24 a month and $293 a year will be a hardship for far too many customers.” Please sign CUB’s petition against the proposed increase. We’ll update you when we have further details.
Nicor Gas (Docket 26-0099)
Proposed Rate Hike: $221 million
Customer Impact: Up to $6 a month. Combined with Nicor’s last hike ($4.25 a month in November 2025), customers face a potential $10-a-month hit.
Rate-Hike History: Since 2017, Nicor has increased delivery rates five times, for a total of $898 million, or 137 percent. Nicor filed for this hike just seven weeks after winning a $168 million increase.
Profits: Nicor’s parent company made about $4.3 billion in profits in 2025. In the current rate case, Nicor is pushing for an excessive 10.35 percent profit rate for shareholders.
What’s next in the case: CUB will file testimony opposing the increase in May.
What you can do: Sign CUB’s petition against Nicor’s rate hike and file a public comment with the ICC.
Peoples/North Shore (Dockets 26-0065, 26-0066)
Proposed Rate Hike: Peoples Gas, $202 million. Sister company North Shore Gas, $14.4 million.
Customer Impact: An average of $10-$11 a month for Peoples customers, and $5-$6 a month for North Shore customers.
Rate-Hike History: Peoples has raised rates by $499 million, or 98 percent, since 2011—including a state-record $306 million hike in 2023. North Shore Gas has increased rates multiple times since 2011, by a total of about $27 million, according to a CUB review.
Profits: Peoples Gas has set earnings records seven out of the last 9 years. The parent company of Peoples and North Shore made $1.6 billion in profits in 2025. In the current rate cases, both utilities are pushing for an excessive 10.1 percent profit rate for shareholders.
What’s next in the case: CUB will file testimony opposing the increases in May.
What you can do: Sign CUB’s petitions against the Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas rate hikes. File public comments against the rate hikes: here for Peoples Gas and here for North Shore Gas.
Illinois American Water (Docket 26-0127)
Proposed Rate Hike: $134 million
Customer Impact: An average of $14 a month (residential water bills) and $28 a month (residential wastewater bills).
Rate-Hike History: This is the fourth rate case in a decade. Since 2016, Illinois American has won about $230 million in rate hikes.
Profits: Illinois American’s parent company made about $1.1 billion in profits in 2025. In the current rate case, Illinois American is pushing for an excessive 10.75 percent profit rate for shareholders.
What’s next in the case: CUB will file testimony opposing the increase in May.
What you can do: Sign CUB’s petition against Illinois American’s rate hike and file a public comment with the ICC.
Other Cases:
Beyond challenging rate hikes, CUB has been fighting for consumers in several other cases before the ICC. Here are a few:
Illinois American Water Merger with Essential Utilities (25-1057)
As Illinois American pushes to raise rates by $134 million, its parent, American Water, is trying to acquire Essential Utilities, which owns the second largest water company in the state: Aqua Illinois. Having already acquired Prairie Path, this transaction would make Illinois American the only investor-owned water utility in Illinois. CUB signed onto a motion by the Environmental Law and Policy Center to dismiss the merger filing, but the ICC did not grant it. CUB believes the merger should be rejected, or, at the very least, state regulators should require pro-consumer concessions as a condition of approval.
Performance Metrics for Ameren (25-0574) and ComEd (25-0514)
Under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), electric utilities ComEd and Ameren have to conform to performance standards. The utilities filed a proposal for these standards for the period 2028-2031, and CUB and other consumer advocates responded with proposals to make the metrics stronger. CUB is happy to report that on Feb. 5, the ICC issued landmark decisions rejecting utility proposals to weaken the standards and adopting many improvements proposed by CUB, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Vote Solar. The improvements prioritize energy affordability, cut peak demand, reduce reliance on costly, polluting energy, and ensure utility incentives actually benefit customers. “At a time when consumers face soaring energy bills, CUB thanks the ICC for giving ComEd and Ameren a clear message: You can’t be careless with your customers’ money,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said. “The orders show that the Commission understands the importance of accountability and ensuring that the utilities’ spending actually leads to tangible benefits for consumers, including a more reliable and affordable electricity system.”
Multi-Year Grid Plans for Ameren (26-0051) and ComEd (26-0047)
ComEd and Ameren have both filed multi-year grid plans for the period 2028-2031. With data center-related electricity costs skyrocketing, these cases are key to make sure customers aren’t unfairly paying for infrastructure upgrades linked to these data facilities. In total, the plans call for billions in system upgrades ($15.3 billion for ComEd and more than $4 billion for Ameren). CUB has vowed to push back on wasteful spending. “Everyone supports a strong distribution system, but ComEd and Ameren have a responsibility to maintain their grid in a way that benefits customers and doesn’t bankrupt them,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said. These grid plans, which will be finalized through ICC orders in December of this year, include capital expenditures and operations and management costs. In 2027, the utilities will propose how these costs will be reflected in rates, through multi-year rate plan cases before the ICC.
