Each year CUB works at the State Capitol on a broad range of issues related to our core mission of saving consumers money on their utility bills. “It’s not easy fighting for consumer interests against the big utilities in Springfield, but I know you’ve got my back,” said Bryan McDaniel,…...
Overpaying by $4.4 billion? New report shows why we need electricity market reforms
We’re paying $4.4 billion more for electricity than we need to be. According to a new report, consumers all over the U.S.—including northern Illinois—are overpaying for a “capacity” charge that’s hidden on most electric bills. This is a major reason why CUB is fighting for the electricity-market reform provisions in…...
State report shows big losses for electric shoppers: $800 million since 2015
The Illinois Commerce Commission’s Office of Retail Market Development released its annual report on Illinois electric competition. It showed that electric consumers with alternative suppliers lost $246.1 million just over the last 12 months. That makes nearly $800 million lost in the last four years! Since June 2015, total residential…...
Update from the State Capitol: Fighting for cleaner energy and lower utility bills
This year alone, CUB Action Network members have sent more than 7,500 messages to Springfield in favor of good legislation and against bad bills—amazing! But we know tracking all these bills can get confusing. As we enter the last week of the General Assembly’s Spring Legislative Session, here’s a summary…...
Clean Energy Lobby Day with CUB
This week, CUB joined hundreds of concerned consumers for Clean Energy Lobby Day in Springfield. It was an opportunity to speak to your representatives and senators about legislation that matters to you. On Thursday, busloads of people came to Springfield, including CUB staffers, to support the Clean Energy Jobs Act…...
HEAT Act would protect consumers from predatory alternative suppliers
Today CUB joined Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and other consumer advocates urging the General Assembly to pass legislation to protect consumers from predatory practices and high costs from alternative energy suppliers “This legislation would right some of the wrongs in the alternative supplier industry,” said Bryan McDaniel, CUB’s Director…...
Water: You pay, so you deserve a say
You pay your water bill, so you should have a say in whether your water system gets privatized. That’s the idea behind House Bill 2392, legislation in Springfield that would require municipalities to hold a referendum before selling off a public water and sewer system. Tell your state legislators to support…...
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…...
