Three Southern Illinois Republican Representatives have introduced two pieces of legislation that would repeal Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and study how to bring fossil fuel power plants back online to improve electricity affordability and reliability.
The “Energize Illinois” program takes aim at electricity unaffordability for working families and businesses.
State Representative Dave Severin, who represents Jefferson County in the house, says people are getting their first summer electricity bills, and the prices are shockingly high and unaffordable due to how the state’s climate legislation has stifled the coal, oil, and natural gas power generation in southern Illinois.
HB 4088 would fully repeal the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and its 2045 deadline for ending the use of carbon-emitting fossil fuels. HB 4087 would create a new Power Grid Task Force to study the effect of state laws, including CEJA, on energy prices as well as grid reliability. The task force would also be charged with exploring ways to improve the power supply mix within the state using existing energy resources and new technologies, with the stated goal of ensuring the future stability and reliability of Illinois’ power grid.
House Republican Floor Leader State Representatives Patrick Windhorst and Paul Jacobs are chief co-sponsors of the bill.
