Abe Scarr
State Director, Illinois PIRG; Energy and Utilities Program Director, PIRG
Statement: Don’t believe the Exelon hype
Media Contacts
Statement in response to the Exelon rally and lobby day in Springfield
Illinois PIRG
Statement from Abraham Scarr, Director of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) in response to the Exelon rally and lobby day in Springfield.
ComEd and Exelon want you to believe their “Next Generation Energy Plan” will put Illinois on the path to a clean energy future. Don’t believe the hype. They claim their bill will jump start solar, but the solar industry opposes it. They claim their new rate structure helps consumers, but consumer advocates oppose it. They ask for “equal footing” with wind and solar, without counting the $5.58 billion Illinois ratepayers have already poured into their nuclear fleet.
The ComEd-Exelon bill prioritizes private profits over public good. Demand charges, the nuclear bailout, the grossly overpriced micro-grid proposal and many other policies all aim to deliver more, and more consistent, revenue for ComEd and Exelon.
It is time to transition to a clean, renewable energy economy and do so in a way that is fair to consumers and to the communities most impacted by our energy system. But instead of rising to these challenges, the ComEd-Exelon bill seeks to forestall this transition and wring as much profit from ratepayers as possible while delivering little in return.
