* From Rep. David Welter (R-Morris), the GOP spokesperson on the House Energy and Environment Committee…
I spoke with Chairwoman Williams [yesterday]. We’ve agreed to work together and collaborate on amendments that hold public utilities accountable in energy legislation next session. There is a genuine desire on the part of some members on both sides of the aisle to put tough laws in place to prevent the kind of corruption that’s been exposed by the U.S. Attorney’s investigation from occurring again.
I am disappointed that House Democrats denied my request for hearings specific to how ratepayers may have been adversely impacted by ComEd’s lobbying practices during the period in question. I disagree that doing so would somehow “impede or interfere with an ongoing federal investigation”, because ComEd has already agreed to pay $200 million to defer further prosecution. The fact is, both the City of Chicago and the Illinois Commerce Commission plan to hold hearings of their own and call ComEd officials to testify. Why not Mike Madigan’s House of Representatives?
* Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago), who chairs the House E&E Committee, sent this letter to her colleagues yesterday…
Like you, I was incredibly disturbed by the revelation last week by the U.S. Attorney that ComEd had engaged in an ongoing bribery scheme to corrupt the legislative process and benefit their bottom line at the expense of Illinois consumers. As chair of the Illinois House Energy & Environment committee, I have consistently opposed efforts by utilities to guarantee their profits at the expense of residents and small businesses, including automatic rate hikes. It is now abundantly clear that we must work together to pass strong reforms to hold utility executives accountable and create clean energy policy that puts the people of Illinois first. For years, ComEd and other utility and business interests have run the show when it came to developing energy policy in Springfield; we now know that this was a methodical and criminal attempt to manipulate the process. No more.
As the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic becomes clear, we must find solutions that will put people back to work without relying on scarce state resources – especially in communities hit the hardest by the pandemic and already facing systemic inequities across the board. Creating jobs and providing economic opportunity must be a cornerstone of any strategy to recover and rebuild. In order to move Illinois toward a clean energy future, we must decisively and deliberately move away from fossil fuels as we push for the development of renewable energy resources via private investment in Illinois.
However, we cannot move forward without addressing what has happened in the past. The era of utilities, nuclear and fossil fuel industries, and other big business groups dictating energy policy in Illinois is over. We can no longer allow corporate profits to come before efforts to create affordable and clean energy sources. We can - and we should - make Illinois a national model for addressing climate change and restoring the public’s trust by requiring significant accountability, transparency and ethics requirements for utilities.
I am in the process of drafting an amendment to the Clean Energy Jobs Act to end automatic rate hikes and implement strong and significant utility accountability measures, which I hope will have your support. I stand ready to join colleagues on both sides of the aisle and Governor Pritzker in crafting a comprehensive energy package containing these important provisions.
As the House sponsor of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, I look forward to working collaboratively with you in the coming months to pass an energy bill that will protect our future, create opportunity in the communities that need it most, and ensure a fair, transparent and equitable process for the consideration of energy policy today and into the future.
- Nobody Sent - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 10:19 am:
Any hope that the bill will prevent utilities from using rate payer money to make charitable contributions in the utility’s name?
- Rabid - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 10:22 am:
It’s all about the hiring practices. Oversight on employment
- Muddy trail - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 10:29 am:
Just take it over. Do what Nebraska did. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/red-state-red-power-nebraskas-publiclyowned-electricity-system/
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 10:33 am:
Ohio seems like they’re going to repeal the energy bill at the center of their Speaker’s bribery scandal, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen here. Don’t know if this amendment Williams is proposing is going to be enough, but I guess it’s better than nothing
- revvedup - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 10:43 am:
More rules and laws won’t stop the corruption; it is already illegal to a) solicit for a bribe; b) accept a bribe, c) do anything, or fail to do anything, related to being a public official or officer for personal gain. And yet it goes on and on in Illinois. It is not laws or rules we lack, it is people in power with ethics.
- Nagidam - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 10:57 am:
While a utility is a target for this new ethics idea, there is another utility named in a subpoena along with a hospital. I get the desire to act but maybe lets see what transpired and act accordingly. The crux of all this is years of influence pedaling. One persons influence pedaling is another persons advocacy. I certainly know the difference here but legislators have a habit of going to far in the haste to “do something”. Get it right
- low level - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 11:27 am:
Once again, Rep. Williams shows ability and a comprehensive knowledge of what needs to be done. She knows the details.
A future Speaker in the making? She’d be phenomenal IMO.
- @misterjayem - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 12:32 pm:
I misread the headline as “ComEd-related ethics restrictions look laughable”
I stand by my misreading.
– MrJM
- Last Bull Moose - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 12:45 pm:
I have never been sure that deregulating power production made sense. Rate setting was less capricious under the rate of return on used and useful assets system.
- Anyone Remember - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 2:02 pm:
Muddy trail -
Really want to make heads explode? Suggest Illinois emulate Nebraska and change to a unicameral legislature … .
- very old soil - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 2:51 pm:
AR. We sure don’t want to be like those socialists in Nebraska. BTW isn’t the governor a Rickett?
- Homer Simpson's Brain - Friday, Jul 24, 20 @ 4:50 pm:
Of course it was a huge mistake to give ComEd automatic rate increases. It gets ComEd off the hook for justifying any rate increases.
While we’re in a reform mood, we need to institute a maximum wage for all utilities. I propose $100,000 a year as the maximum wage. I’m sick and tired of seeing executive compensation at ComEd and Exelon going through the roof year after year, which gets tacked on to everyones’ electric bills. A public utility should be run for the good of the people, which means having the lowest rates possible while also paying all the employees a reasonable salary. Those millions of dollars of executive compensation are totally unreasonable; that money needs to be returned into the pockets of ratepayers and the lowest paid front line workers who keep the electricity flowing.
I agree with Muddy trail, we should nationalize utility service in the State of Illinois. But not just electric, I envision the entire gamut of utility services, including water, sewage, garbage, electricity, natural gas, internet service providers, telephone service (including cell service) and any other utility services that may arise from time to time. It’s time to end this bilking of ratepayers.
On a semi-related note, did the legislature ever get around to taking Illinois out of PJM Interconnection? Continued participation will likely mean massive rate hikes for electricity here in Illinois. We might as well nationalize that too. We cannot continue to allow ourselves to be bilked out of money we don’t have when it is totally unnecessary, especially during an economic depression.