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Policy/legislation

Governor pushes for better accountability of gas utilities (we agree!)

Governor J.B. Pritzker recently wrote an op-ed in the Chicago Sun-Times calling on gas utilities to be made more accountable to consumers and state regulators. The op-ed comes in the wake of news that gas utilities are pushing for a record $900 million in rate hikes.  CUB and other consumer…...

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Fighting for Illinois Consumers: CUB’s 2023 Legislative Agenda

Each year CUB works on a broad range of issues related to our core mission of saving consumers money on their utility bills. CUB’s priorities for the 2023 Illinois General Assembly session include the following: HB 2541- Representative Theresa Mah: This bill would cap the profit rate of electric, gas…...

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City of Chicago announces new building electrification plan

Chicago recently announced its building electrification plan to reduce emissions in the nation’s third-largest city, where nearly 70% of the greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings.  The report recommends moving to electric heat of buildings over the next 20 years. First, it would change the City’s building codes to phase…...

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Here’s what Illinois consumers need to know about Inflation Reduction Act clean energy benefits

Now that the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has been signed into law, many consumers are wondering how they can benefit from the money-saving, clean energy provisions in the bill. The IRA represents much needed relief at a time when 1 in 6 homes in America are behind on their…...

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Breaking: Inflation Reduction Act is signed into law

The nation has taken a historic step forward in fighting costly climate change and lowering utility bills through energy efficiency with passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). President Biden signed the IRA into law on Tuesday, August 16, The landmark energy bill passed the U.S. House on Aug. 12…...

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CUB explainer: The Inflation Reduction Act

The U.S. Senate is considering legislation that supporters say would represent the nation’s largest investment in energy efficiency in history, and its biggest and best attempt yet to fight climate change.  The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) aims to reduce inflation by increasing corporate tax revenue by closing loopholes and supporting…...

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Illinois’ Electric Vehicle Rebate Opens

Illinois is offering a rebate of up to $4,000 for approved electric vehicle purchases by Illinois residents. This is thanks to the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) that Illinois signed into law last Fall with the goal of reducing carbon emissions and help reach a goal of over 1…...

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CUB, other advocates race against clock: General Assembly tries one more time to pass strong clean energy bill

UPDATE:  Early this morning, the Illinois Senate passed comprehensive clean energy legislation (Senate Bill 18) and sent it to the state House of Representatives. (The vote was 39-16-2.) That came after days of negotiations and two hearings by the Senate Committee on Energy and Public Utilities. While there is broad agreement…...

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CUB’s Capitol Report: Fighting rubber-stamped rate hikes, water privatization, and unfair gas charges in Springfield

With Illinois’ new General Assembly taking up business in Springfield amid a pandemic, CUB’s Bryan McDaniel will be busy fighting for consumers on a number of important bills. Help CUB fight for lower utility bills “Fighting for consumer legislation in Springfield is always a challenge because energy, water, and internet…...

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The bad water bill is now law. So now what?

Earlier this month Gov. Bruce Rauner signed House Bill 4508 — which means any publicly owned water system in Illinois could now be targeted by profit-driven private water utilities. The bill doubles down on previous legislation that allowed Aqua Illinois and Illinois American Water to impose automatic rate hikes to…...

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