McHenry Times

State Sen. Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles) laments every Illinois resident is being forced to pay the price for Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s handling of the state’s energy industry.

“With one swift swoop of his pen, Governor Pritzker just signed energy legislation that includes the largest utility rate increase in Illinois history, takes property rights away from land owners in nine counties and cherry picks which utilities are subject to ethics regulations,” DeWitte recently posted on Facebook. “Every ratepayer in Illinois will absorb this increase and municipalities in the Prairie State co-op will soon be stuck paying off long-term debt for energy they are not receiving from Prairie State while simultaneously having to purchase energy from another source."

DeWitte is not alone in blasting the recently passed clean energy bill as being far from in the state’s best interest.

“The availability of affordable and reliable energy for Illinois residents is in jeopardy thanks to legislation rammed through the House this week,” state Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) said in a press release regarding the bill that could mean a $700 million-plus bailout for northern Illinois nuclear power company ComEd. “This legislation is nothing but a goodie bag for special interests.”

State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) also warns the bill stands to force every state resident to have to dig deeper in their pockets at a time when the local economy is far from being at its strength.

“We are going to cost every ratepayer in this state more money,” Tracy said in a video posted to YouTube. “The one thing Illinois has had going for it for years is reliable and affordable energy. It seems like we’re trying to set a standard that maybe will put us in a position where we have to import energy from the same carbon that we’re trying to get away from.”