VILLA GROVE – The Illinois Freedom Caucus says it is time for Gov. JB Pritzker and the legislative leaders to take the energy crisis seriously and adopt policies that are based on the current political realities.
State Representatives Chris Miller (R-Hindsboro), Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), and Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) as well as small business owner Ryan Garrett held a press conference Thursday to address rising energy costs in rural Illinois.
“Thousands of people have either received, or are anxiously awaiting their most recent utility bill, which is set to reflect anywhere from a 20% to 40% increase in price,” Miller said. “For many families and businesses, this will bust their budget, leaving them with difficult choices about cooling their homes or feeding their families. Today, we want people to know that it does not have to be this way. The prices you see on your electricity bill are the product of failed, disastrous public policy being forced by Governor Pritzker, the Democrats in Springfield, and the woke Green New Deal Mafia. They have destroyed energy independence, taken power generation off of our grid, and set us back years in reliability. All in the name of worshipping their green god.”
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation has sounded the alarm that our downstate grid may soon face critical energy shortages, potentially running out of reserves as early as 2034. Capacity issues are causing uncertainty in the marketplace, leading to dramatic price hikes, which can directly be attributed to the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. Illinois’ decision to arbitrarily shutter functioning power plants including the cleanest coal-fired plant in the nation is directly contributing to these energy cost hikes.
“This isn’t just a minor inconvenience; it’s a clear indication that our state’s energy policies are misaligned with the realities of the energy market and the needs of our consumers,” Halbrook said. “To tackle this urgent crisis, we need to proactively reform Illinois’s energy policies. I warned my colleagues in the House about where we were headed when we adopted many of the policies impacting energy prices today. It is time we took a focused approach to developing energy policies that prioritize consumers — not the Governor’s far-left agenda.”
As of 2023, renewable energy accounted for only about 13.5% of Illinois’s electricity generation. To meet CEJA’s upcoming deadlines, this percentage must more than double in just five years. CEJA has raised Illinois’ renewable portfolio standard — a mandate requiring that a portion of the energy sold by electric utilities comes from renewable sources — to 40% by 2030 and 50% by 2040. The legislation also aims for the state to achieve 100% clean energy by 2050.
Additionally, compounding this problem is the surge of datacenters. Illinois currently has 222 datacenters, which could grow even more in the coming years as the Trump administration has made adding new datacenters a priority.
“It does not matter what the Governor thinks about climate change,” Halbrook said. “His priority should be to ensure that Illinois residents have access to the power they need, and he should focus on making sure our state is well-positioned to take advantage of the new economy. The federal government has ended the subsidies for wind and solar. Without these subsidies — how do we get to 50 percent renewable by 2050? We all know the answer to this question. We can’t. We are here today to stand up for seniors, for schools, hospitals, small businesses, and homeowners. Is it seriously going to take blackouts before the Democrats recognize the crisis they have created? Let’s come to the table and develop an energy policy that can Illinois a leader in the emerging economy. We are ready and willing to have those discussions.”
Garrett pointed to his latest utility bill at the bar and restaurant he owns in Villa Grove, which was $1,000 higher than it has been in the past. He said he has had to cut employee hours and make other adjustments because of these cost increases.
“I can’t really justify raising prices on my customers because they are in the same boat I am,” Garrett said. “These costs are out of control. We need to get this resolved and we need to do it as soon as possible. I am not the only business owner seeing these kinds of cost increases.”