ILLINOIS PUBLIC POWER NEWSLETTER #3
April 16, 2024
Welcome back to Illinois’ Public Power Newsletter, and welcome also to the new friends we’ve met over the last few months. For our new readers, this newsletter is prepared by a coalition of volunteer public power customers, consumer advocates, and environmental organizations and will share information about Illinois’ publicly-owned utilities, including municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives. If you would like information shared in future newsletters, please email Scott Allen: sallen@citizensutilityboard.org
NEW FACEBOOK PAGE
We are excited to share that in addition to this newsletter, we have launched a “Putting the Public Back in Public Power” facebook page. This is an opportunity for public power customers across Illinois to stay more connected. Please feel free to join us for discussion in the comments of posts and share suggested content for posting.
UPDATE ON LEGISLATION – AND ACTION NEEDED!
In Newsletters 1 and 2 we shared information about community events in Mascoutah, Naperville, and St. Charles. With information gained in those events and from countless conversations with public power customers and advocates, we helped develop and introduce legislation in the Illinois House and Senate. Thank you to Representative Janet Yang Rohr, Senator Laura Ellman, and Representative Daniel Didech for their leadership on these issues.
Two bills have been introduced to improve transparency, public engagement, solar access, and energy planning of municipal utilities and cooperatives. Here is the latest on these bills:
The Solar Bill of Rights (HB5315, Rep Didech) was passed out of the House Energy and Environment Committee on April 2nd.
The Municipal and Cooperative Electric Utility Planning and Transparency Act (HB5021/SB3637) needs your support. You can take action and ask your legislators to support and co-sponsor HB/5021/SB3637. Simply fill out the action alert from our partners Citizens Utility Board.
Join us in Springfield at LOBBY DAY to talk to your legislators about these bills. Learn more and register for Lobby Day here.
UPDATE FROM NAPERVILLE AND IMEA CONTRACT RENEWAL
The topic of Public Power continues to make the news in Naperville. A recent article in the Daily Herald details Naperville’s relationship with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) and its reliance on coal-fired power. The local group, Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force (NEST) continues to work to encourage greater transparency and more effective energy planning. Cathy Clarkin with NEST said, “We want to see integrated resource planning, and we want to see a plan to transition to clean energy.”
Naperville is one of the 32 municipal electric communities that are members of IMEA..IMEA has hired a professional marketing firm to try to convince your community to sign an early renewal of their contract. Most of these contracts are not up for renewal until after 2030. Why is this important? These long-term contracts are exploitative, and they don’t allow your city any room to take advantage of changing energy markets. They require you to purchase 100% of your electricity from IMEA without offering any benefits to individuals.
If your community is a member of the IMEA, tell your city council members, “NO EARLY RENEWAL” of the IMEA contract. Renewing this early is a great deal for IMEA, but it’s very risky for members. If technology and markets change drastically in the next few years, or if your community wants to take advantage of federal funding, it’ll be too late.
RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE SCORECARDS
The Rural Energy Cooperative Scorecard Initiative (RECSI) was recently created to track the organizational progress of rural electric cooperatives (rural co-ops) in Illinois and the greater Midwest. Rural co-ops are not-for-profit organizations composed of voting member-ratepayers. Our energy sector is at a crossroads and rural co-ops have a unique opportunity to lead the clean energy revolution. Unfortunately, long term contracts with coal and ties to the coal industry have limited the true democratic nature of rural co-ops.
The RECSI initiative is supported by Citizens Utility Board Illinois, Green Neighbor Challenge of Wisconsin, North Dakota Native Vote, and Prairie Rivers Network. The group has successfully created a scorecard methodology and scoring rubric. Rural co-ops will be scored on their fuel mix stressing renewables, governance issues such as how to vote or run for the co-op board, and member services such as energy efficiency and community solar programs. You can check out similar scorecard initiatives that have been conducted in Minnesota and the Southeast. The new Midwest scorecards will serve as a tool for co-op member-owners, co-op leadership, advocates, and policy makers to help gauge transparency and democratic governance.
KAY’S CORNER
The Citizens Utility Board, or CUB, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer watchdog group that advocates for utility customers in the state of Illinois. CUB was created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1983. Since opening its doors in 1984, CUB has saved Illinois consumers more than $20 billion by blocking rate hikes and securing refunds for consumers.
Scott Allen, Renewable Energy Policy Coordinator
Scott joined CUB in February 2014 as the first downstate staff member. He worked out of Hillsboro, then from Springfield, Champaign, and now, Bloomington. He focuses on Ameren customers and building relationships with downstate organizations. Scott represents CUB at the downstate caucus of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition and works on a range of energy and consumer-related legislative initiatives.
As a graduate student at University of Illinois Springfield, Scott interned at Illinois EPA. There he became interested in sustainability and a need to transition from fossil fuels to a more healthy way of living. At the time, wind generators dotted the area around Bloomington-Normal. In contrast, Springfield began building a coal plant.
After graduation, he worked briefly as a carpenter, then he answered an ad for a position with CUB. There he helped pass the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA).
Scott and I met in 2014 at SIUE. He represented CUB on a panel presenting the outlook for Illinois energy. In anger I asked him, “Why does CUB only work for Ameren consumers and not those of us who get electricity from another provider?”
He calmly and respectfully explained that the law that created CUB helped consumers in investor owned utilities. My provider was a publicly owned utility and therefore, not covered by CUB law. He reassured me that CUB was interested in my problems but had no legal mandate to intervene. While I did not like his answer, I liked Scott’s way of respecting my question.
Three years ago, our paths crossed again. Scott served on the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition Steering Committee. In that capacity he and other leaders began a caucus of concerned citizens from municipal and cooperative electric utilities. We meet every week with Scott as our intrepid leader.
He has traveled from one end of Illinois to another, helping people understand their electric bills. In his “spare” time he shares his expertise with all consumers of electricity.
Though CUB’s focus remains Investor Owned Utilities (IOU’s), Scott thinks every utility should follow the rules that the IOU’s live by. “All the people should have the same rights no matter from whom they buy their electricity. I care about the public good for ALL people; everyone should know their rights. It’s my work to point out what those are, and why some customers are treated differently than others.”
“Prior to CEJA, no one thought CUB’s educational tools could apply to coops and muni electric utilities. It became important to help all customers learn to advocate for themselves, to see the PUBLIC in Public Utilities. To do that we need citizen participation to change legislation.
Our legislation this session is key to securing public input into public power utilities.
We need to get democracy functioning in these municipal and cooperative utilities. This legislation will erase barriers that exist; requiring all utilities to be transparent with their plans and finances.”
Scott works tirelessly for our muni/coop group. He administers a grant for our forum. He hosts our Zoom meetings on Thursdays at 10 am. He attends many other meetings each week, continues his work with CUB, and answers questions when I call. Scott is teacher, counselor, political navigator, community organizer and friend.
Why does he continue this difficult work? “The volunteers like you. Some have dedicated years to make life better for all of us. The volunteers need help. I’m glad to do what I can for them and with them.”
Kay Ahaus
