gmtoday.com
Summary
A bipartisan group of 52 Illinois lawmakers is urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker not to prematurely close not-for-profit coal-fired power plants, warning such a move would raise utility bills and eliminate jobs.
They are asking that the plants operated by City, Water Light and Power in Springfield and the Prairie State Energy Campus in Marissa be excluded from the 2035 closure date proposed in energy legislation being considered this week.
State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said more time is needed to allow for a more responsible transition and would give communities time to put in place new power sources.
Pritzker’s spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said the governor took suggestions from the business community.
“The Governor’s Office involved the business community in over 30 working group meetings that informed the clean energy package. Transparency and accountability have been nonnegotiable for the governor, which is why the legislation contains critical ethics reforms, such as restitution, tax repayment, and more robust reporting requirements,” she told Capitol Fax.
“The latest draft of the energy bill also contains policy proposals that IMA and IRMA voiced support for, such as an option for large commercial and industrial users to opt out of energy efficiency requirements and increased support for combined heat and power. The governor also heard loud and clear that the business community did not want a new ratemaking structure to compromise reliability. That’s why, under the new system, reliability will be a performance metric. That means that ComEd and Ameren will be rewarded for improved reliability and penalized for decreased reliability.”
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