Today’s must-read
Monday, Nov 10, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune takes a comprehensive, balanced look at the omnibus energy bill passed by both chambers during the fall session…
As Illinois lawmakers finished their work for 2025, they began backing away from their four-year-old pledge that the state would produce electricity only from carbon-free sources by 2045.
They did so by conferring new powers on state regulators who had already signaled that closing coal- and gas-fired electricity plants as scheduled, starting in 2030, is likely impossible in the face of looming shortages and soaring monthly bills.
In a complex mosaic, they also empowered these same regulators to inject significant new horsepower into renewable and battery storage power.
Under the state’s new energy legislation, the Illinois Commerce Commission can not only delay the planned closures of fossil fuel sources, but also raise electricity rates to build both renewable and fossil fuel sources that the legislature hasn’t even considered.
These expanded powers are controversial because the ICC hasn’t had them since Illinois deregulated its electrical generation market in 1997. At the last minute, lawmakers inserted a provision that allows them to suspend ICC rate hikes and then negotiate with the agency about modifying them.
Go read the whole thing.
* Meanwhile…
Two developers who purchased the former Cboe Global Markets headquarters in the Loop — with plans to convert the vacant building into a data center — have sold the property to Virgina-based company Legacy Investing. […]
The property will still become a [33 megawatt] data center
- Annonin' - Monday, Nov 10, 25 @ 12:36 pm:
Actually the energy piece could have gone a little deeper to detail who PJM and MISO really are. ComEd/Ameren like to throw up their hands when they hike prices. Would be better to acknowledge cross ownership. It might also be good to better explain “peak demand” means something other than utilities are producing every watt possible. Because they don’t and others can charge more. Same always applied to oil/gas shortages. If there was a true “shortage” gas stations would be closed not raising prices.
- T.R. - Monday, Nov 10, 25 @ 1:33 pm:
Given that the current ICC has shown itself to be on the side of ratepayers, I think it’s prudent to give them a little more control than they have now. (They’ll still have much less power than most public utility commissions in other states have.) Relying on the GA to pass a mega-energy bill every four or five years doesn’t allow for nimble policy making, which is needed given how quickly the energy landscape is shifting. Would like to see the ICC encourage the construction of new, efficient gas plants with carbon capture rather than allowing the old high-polluting plants to continue to burn.
- Dupage - Monday, Nov 10, 25 @ 1:57 pm:
@1:33pm ===gas plants with carbon capture==
Exactly where would this “carbon capture” go? Putting it underground could irreversibly contaminate aquafers. It should be permanently banned statewide. Any existing operations should be given no more than 2 or 3 years to shut down.
- Lyons Larry - Monday, Nov 10, 25 @ 1:59 pm:
I think, especially long-term, this bill will do some good for the state and rate payers. But I think there needs to be a serious conversation around the ethics of having the ICC pushing utilities to support legislation being considered when those utilities are regulated and even have pending cases before the ICC.
Seems no different than when Trump was using the FCC to get news networks to cave to his demands by threatening regulatory action against them. I recall a lot of folks in leadership roles in this state spoke loudly against that abuse of power….