For more than a year now, CUB has been sounding the alarm about a potential ruling at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that could raise ComEd power bills by up to $864 million a year. There have been delays in that ruling, but we now believe it is imminent.…...
At the Supreme Court: A victory for clean energy
This month, Illinois consumers got good news: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to review appellate court decisions that upheld the right for states to advance clean energy goals through “zero-emission credit” (ZEC) programs in Illinois and New York. On Twitter, CUB called it an “important victory for cost-effective…...
Q&A on the Capacity Battle
On Tuesday, Nov. 6, CUB filed comments before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), protesting a proposal favored by out-of-state fossil-fuel generators that could undermine Illinois energy policy and send ComEd bills skyrocketing. Specifically, the generators want to change the rules governing a special electricity market—called a “capacity market”—that covers…...
Victory! FERC rejects plan that could have sparked higher power bills in Central, Southern IL
CUB and other consumer advocates scored a major victory in Washington this week when federal regulators rejected a proposal that potentially would have cost Central and Southern Illinois consumers millions of dollars in higher power bills. On Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said no to a proposal by…...
Sign the petition to FERC: Refunds now!
Federal regulators recently ordered changes to a yearly electricity auction that last summer sparked a 30 percent increase in power prices in Central and Southern Illinois. Now, it’s time to demand your money back for the egregious prices! Every year, the power grid operator in Central and Southern Illinois and 14 other…...
FERC launches probe of Central, Southern IL power market
Federal regulators have listened to Attorney General Lisa Madigan and more than 3,000 CUB Action Network members who called for an investigation of the electricity market in Central and Southern Illinois after consumers were hit with a 30 percent price spike. Here are the developments since CUB held a media…...
Statement: CUB Executive Director David Kolata on today’s capacity auction results
For the second time in less than a year consumers in the state—first in Central and Southern Illinois and now in Northern Illinois—face significantly higher electric bills because of a flawed power-pricing system. Illinois’ electricity market is not working well for consumers. This price spike is one more red flag…...
Why Northern Illinois should care about the rate hikes in Central and Southern Illinois
Lately we’ve been discussing an Illinois electricity auction that sparked a 12-35% price spike for many Central and Southern Illinois customers. The spike was due to an increase in capacity prices—what consumers pay to ensure power plants can deliver electricity on the highest-demand days of the year. Every spring, MISO (the…...
