CUB alerted Ameren Illinois electricity customers to two cases before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) in which the watchdog is challenging a proposed rate hike from the utility as well as more than $300 million in questionable spending in the company’s proposed plan for upgrading the grid. (Read a pdf version of CUB’s…...
CUB’s report on gas market volatility: August 2026
Gas prices for four of Illinois’ 9 major utilities were up from a year ago, led by Liberty Utilities, which is charging a whopping 95 cents per therm supply rate, according to a CUB review of August gas prices. Gas utilities file supply prices–called the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA)–each month…...
Will Illinois meet the moment to rein in data centers and save us from skyrocketing power bills?
By Sarah Moskowitz Executive Director Citizens Utility Board (CUB) (Note: A version of this opinion piece appeared in Crain’s Chicago Business on July 27, 2026.) This summer millions of Illinois consumers are paying power prices that are about 40-50 percent higher than what they were just two years ago, and…...
CUB: Sustained High PJM Capacity Prices Ramp Up Urgency For Data Center Reform
Latest PJM auction results let Big Tech off the hook, while everyday customers suffer years-long bill spike We have now seen four straight capacity auctions with painfully high prices because policymakers at every level are letting Big Tech–some of the world’s wealthiest corporations–off the hook. Across the PJM region, continued…...
CUB Urges Illinois American customers to Attend ICC forum on rate hike
The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) on Tuesday urged Illinois American Water customers to speak out against the utility’s push for a $142 million rate hike at a public forum organized by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). The forum is: 7-9 p.m., Tuesday, July 14 Bolingbrook Community Center, Room A 201…...
CUB’s report on gas market volatility: July 2026
While five major gas utilities in Illinois reported lower prices compared with last July, several are charging higher supply rates—including Liberty Utilities and Consumers Gas, which are charging a whopping $1.03 per therm and $1.83 per therm this month, respectively, according to a CUB review of gas supply prices. Illinois…...
‘Very, very grateful”: CUB helps 92-year-old electric and gas customer secure $1,500 refund
Guadalupe, a 92-year-old Waukegan resident, had no idea that attending a CUB event would result in her receiving a $1,500 refund. But that’s exactly what happened when experts from the consumer watchdog discovered Guadalupe was being overcharged by an alternative supplier she had no idea she was paying. In late…...
CUB thanks Gov. Pritzker for pausing new tax incentives for data centers, outlining framework for data center safeguards in Illinois
The following is a statement from Citizens Utility Board (CUB) Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement today that he is pausing new data center tax incentives. The governor also outlined a framework for data center safeguards in Illinois. We thank Gov. Pritzker for taking action today by…...
