Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP file
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is set to unveil his own sweeping climate and energy legislation Thursday, ending formula rates and online payment fees as the state moves towards 100% clean energy by 2050 and away from “the old ‘pay-to-play politics’ of the past.”
The Consumers and Climate First Act addresses ethics and consumer protections as well as renewable energy and clean power. It also seeks to address how the state plans to help those who lose their jobs as Illinois shifts away from non-renewable energy sources.
Pritzker’s bill would end formula rates, a practice of utility companies being able to “spend ratepayer money with little oversight, meaning ComEd and Ameren, will no longer be able to dramatically increase their profits by loading up the rate base with little cost control,” according to a summary of the bill.
Pritzker unveils energy plan amid session’s final stretch
Several energy overhaul proposals have been in the works since 2019
By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s office unveiled a 900-page energy overhaul bill Wednesday, accelerating a yearslong negotiating process which advocates hope will end in a comprehensive clean energy platform as the session nears its final month.
The stated goal of the bill is to drive Illinois to 100 percent “clean” energy by 2050. That, Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell said in an interview Wednesday, would include nuclear power as a major contributor. Another goal is to bring Illinois to 40 percent of its utility scale energy being produced by renewables, such as wind and solar, by 2030. Right now, that number is around 8 percent.
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