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Policy/legislation

ICJC News Release: Mayor Johnson, Ald. Hadden, Business Leaders, and Environmental Justice Advocates Announce Introduction of Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance (CABO)

With nearly 1 in 5 residents behind on their gas bills and gas rates continuing to increase, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Committee of Environmental Protection and Energy Chair Ald. Maria Hadden (49) announced Tuesday the introduction of the Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance (CABO). The proposal would require newly constructed…...

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Good news: Ameren pulls back ‘Right of First Refusal’ legislation–but this fight is far from over

UPDATE: Good news from the Fall Veto Session. It was reported on Oct. 25 that Ameren, for now, has thrown in the towel on its attempt to override Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s veto of a bill that would have given it a monopoly on building billions of dollars in transmission lines.…...

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CUB calls on ICC to reject record rate hike for Peoples Gas after agency official recommends big increase for utility

An administrative law judge for the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has issued a “proposed order” recommending that the ICC approve a record-high $350 million rate hike for Peoples Gas, awarding the company the vast bulk — 87 percent —of the $402 million increase it has sought from regulators.  The recommended…...

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CUB’s Daily Herald Op-Ed: Private Water, Big Headaches

CUB Director of Governmental Affairs Bryan McDaniel recently penned an op-ed in the Daily Herald responding to Lake County’s water outage with private water utility Aqua Illinois: The recent Aqua Illinois water outage/boil order in Lake County is further evidence that private corporate monopolies are not the answer to our…...

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CUB’s guy in Springfield thanks consumers for their involvement

By: Bryan McDaniel CUB Director of Governmental Affairs Given all the action on energy legislation in the General Assembly over the last few years, 2023 proved a little quieter, until the end of session when Ameren muscled through a proposal to give themselves a monopoly over transmission lines in their…...

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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 $887 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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