Congratulations to Paul from LaGrange for being randomly selected to win a $100 gift card as part of CUB’s Clean Energy Action Month photo contest. “I’m surprised!” Paul exclaimed. And thanks to all the CUB supporter who gave us great photos. In honor of Clean Energy Action Month, CUB held…...
CUB’s monthly report on gas market volatility: November
Gas utilities file supply prices–called the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA)–each month with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Here’s what CUB uncovered in our review of prices in November, the first month of the winter heating season. Compared with last month, five of 9 major utilities are charging prices that are…...
Peoples Gas Customers Face Onslaught of Record-Breaking Rate Hikes Under Disputed Pipe-Replacement Program, Report Finds
A controversial proposal by Peoples Gas to continue overhauling its network of underground pipes would leave Chicagoans inundated by recurring rounds of record-breaking rate hikes over the next 15 years, a landmark report released Tuesday found. Meanwhile Peoples customers would continue to incur charges associated with the pipe-replacement program for…...
What are the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Future of Gas Proceedings?
In 2023, four gas utilities–Ameren Illinois, Nicor Gas, North Shore Gas and Peoples Gas–pushed for rate hikes before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Environmental and consumer advocates who challenged the rate increases also requested that the ICC order a process to study how Illinois will manage its shift away from…...
CUB Urges ICC to Cut Ameren Rate-Hike Request
The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) pushed back on a recommendation by state regulatory judges that the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) grant Ameren Illinois an electric rate hike of $315 million, saying the judges had overlooked key examples of overspending by the utility. The Proposed Order, submitted on Oct. 8 by three ICC…...
CUB to utility exec: Stop downplaying rate hike!
Addressing a packed public forum about a proposed rate hike that could average up to $27-$29 per month, a utility executive downplayed the increase by saying it “will be less than a dollar-a-day….” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz sparked applause at the forum when she said: “A ‘dollar a day’…...
ICC Judges Recommend 43% Cut to Aqua IL’s Proposed Rate Hike, CUB Says Aqua Increase Would Still Be Too High
State regulatory judges have recommended that the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approve a lower rate hike for Aqua Illinois: $10.9 million. However, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) said Wednesday that the increase would still be too high for the company, which was sharply criticized by customers for high rates and poor water…...
CUB Q&A: The Low-Income Discount Rate (LIDR) program
In November of 2023, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) ordered the major Illinois gas utilities to launch the state’s first-ever income-based program that provides gas-bill discounts for eligible customers. The Low-Income Discount Rate (LIDR) program, which went into effect on Oct. 1, 2024, was advocated for by Legal Action Chicago,…...
CUB’s monthly report on gas market volatility: October
Gas utilities file supply prices–called the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA)–each month with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Here’s what CUB uncovered in our review of prices in October, the first month of the winter heating season. Compared with last month, five of 9 major utilities are charging prices that are…...
