When Gov. JB Pritzker and his Democratic supermajority passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) bill in 2021, they deceptively promised that Illinois could shut down coal and natural gas plants by a certain deadline and still run its modern economy on nuclear, wind and solar power. Those who opposed CEJA were labeled alarmists.
The Tribune Editorial Board noted a year ago that “just three years later, it appears the alarmists were right, and Pritzker and the green lobby were wrong.”
Although the situation is now dire, Democrats have stunningly responded by doubling down on their bad green-energy policies. State Rep. Jay Hoffman filed HB4116, a massive 822-page energy bill that will require Illinois taxpayers to fund services such as solar installations, electrical vehicle charging stations, “equitable jobs” and grid battery storage.
In May, Republican members of the Illinois House Energy & Environment and Public Utilities Committees called for comprehensive bipartisan energy hearings. Democrats refused to listen. However, in August, Senate Democrats finally called for a hearing. They wanted a platform to pitch their agenda in response to solar companies complaining about the passage of President Donald Trump’s bill that takes away federal subsidies for solar and wind projects.
Other experts testified against the inevitable consequences of CEJA and the newly filed bill as well. Mark Denzler, president of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, called for a delay in the shutdown of coal and natural gas plants in Illinois as authorized by CEJA, when adequacy requirements cannot be met. Illinois resident and book author Steve Goreham pointed out that because of the artificial intelligence revolution, many other states are restarting nuclear plants, extending production of coal plants and planning for new natural gas plants. A representative from the power company Ameren noted that 80% of the power it transmits to Illinois is imported from other states. Those power sources are predominately coal and natural gas.
Make no mistake. Fossil fuels are not going away.
HB4116 must be stopped. It allows Springfield to enshrine more reckless energy mandates that would make life harder and could cause more people to leave the state. Springfield politicians should not be allowed to gamble with our power grid based on their ideological experiments.
— State Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville
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