A new ruling by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) brings Illinois one step closer to funding a fossil fuel bailout. And that increases the urgency to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA), sweeping legislation that would protect consumers’ power bills while moving the state toward 100 percent renewable…...
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on Friday that he plans to restart “working group” discussions with the goal of passing strong clean energy legislation, possibly in the Fall Veto Session. As Crain’s Chicago Business reports, a working group—which includes consumer advocates, renewable power producers, environmental advocates, the utility industry and more—had…...
Illinois has received more than $41 million in extra assistance to help low-income consumers pay their electric and gas bills during the pandemic, thanks to the federal stimulus package that passed earlier this spring. The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a wide-ranging package designed…...
Chicago has joined a small circle of U.S. cities pioneering policies to prepare for the projected growth in electric vehicles (EVs). On Friday, the City Council passed an ordinance that opens the door to cost-effective expansion of charging equipment in residential and commercial buildings. It’s called the Electric Vehicle Supply…...
Customers of Illinois’ largest electric utility are one step closer to enjoying another program to help them save money and lower their reliance on dirty sources of power: “Time-of-use” (TOU) pricing. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) have been pressing for this innovative program for more…...
A federal regulatory ruling that threatens to raise electric bills by up to $864 million a year “punishes Illinois for our successful clean energy policies” and is a “direct attack” on the state’s authority to protect its residents, CUB Executive Director David Kolata told a legislative committee today. The recent…...
Clean energy legislation pending before the General Assembly stands as the only viable alternative to an explosive increase in electricity costs—believed to be the largest in state history—for millions of Illinois consumers, following a recent regulatory ruling by appointees of President Trump, the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition said Tuesday. The coalition…...
A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruling could increase power bills for most Illinois consumers by up to $1.7 billion over the next decade—what could be the largest electric increase in state history—unless the General Assembly passes the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2020. (Read CUB’s statement.) Here’s what you…...
By Hannah Finnerty, CUB communications coordinator It was still dark outside when 500 bleary-eyed consumer and environmental advocates from across the state packed onto buses and headed to Springfield. Hoping to meet with their legislators at the state capitol, they planned to urge their senators and representatives to pass the…...
