Ruben H. of Chicago found out why his gas and electric bills were getting so high through his landlord: He had been enrolled with an alternative supplier, Direct Energy, since 2015. And he paid nearly twice what the utilities charge. He called ComEd and Peoples Gas, and then contacted Direct…...
CUB General Counsel Report by Julie Soderna
CUB Executive Director David Kolata has asked me to prepare a General Counsel’s Report to outline for our most generous supporters the work we’ve been doing in 2018: Senior Attorney Kelly Turner and I are pleased that so far this year we’ve helped cut Nicor’s proposed rate hike by $115 million and…...
Why Chicago (and my brother) may face a heating-affordability crisis
By Jennifer Jones, CUB communications assistant When CUB Executive Director David Kolata recently described the Peoples Gas pipeline-replacement program as “a looming disaster” for Chicago gas bills it hit close to home, because my brother Milton has been a Chicagoan for the past decade. Last winter, he and other customers…...
Chicago’s looming disaster?
Did you know that last winter, you paid 80 percent more for natural gas service, on average, than your friends and relatives in the suburbs? And a big reason appears to be the mismanaged Peoples Gas pipe-replacement program. That’s what Crain’s Chicago Business reported in a recent story with this ominous…...
Stop spending abuses by Peoples Gas: Fight for HB 4898
CUB, AARP Illinois and Illinois PIRG this week held a news conference about the mismanagement and spiraling costs associated with a Peoples Gas plan to replace aging pipes underneath the city. How bad is it? An analysis by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan found that if the program isn’t changed…...
News Release: Proposed State Law Aims to Quash Spending Abuses by Peoples Gas in Bloated Pipe Replacement Program
A new bill pending in the Illinois General Assembly would eliminate the mechanism Peoples Gas has used to bankroll a pipe-replacement program widely decried for its rampantly escalating cost estimates and chronic waste and mismanagement. The proposed measure, championed by AARP Illinois, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), and Illinois PIRG,…...
Join CUB’s Community Action Campaign
This June we’re challenging EVERYONE in Chicago to join CUB’s Community Action Campaign. In the battles below, Julie, CUB’s general counsel, is up against the best lawyers the utilities can buy. She can’t beat them alone, which is why you and your neighbors must join the fight. Remember they only win when…...
Help Julie and Christie fight rate hikes!
CUB has launched its annual consumer campaign in June to rally Illinoisans against billions of dollars in rate hikes. We hope every community in Illinois signs our Rate-hike Fighters Petition. Take a look at the rate-hike battles CUB General Counsel Julie Soderna and Senior Attorney Christie R. Hicks are juggling before…...
Congrats to CUB’s Membership Survey Winner!
Congratulations to Joyce H. of Urbana for winning $100 off of her next power bill—and two efficient LED bulbs— through CUB’s Executive Director’s Mid-year Membership Survey! Joyce’s name was randomly selected from a pool of 1,120 other participants after telling CUB which rate-hike battle mattered most to her. The membership…...