CUBlog

The Kreutzers are doing everything they can to preserve their 140-year-old Huntley farm, after state regulators approved ComEd’s plan to run transmission lines through the property. The Courier News reports that the power lines would cut off the farm from access roads, making it essentially landlocked.  The village of Huntley and Bill Byrne, who currently lives on the Kreutzer farm, argued that an alternate route though the village of Gilberts would be less costly and less damaging to trees and wildlife. “ComEd is failing to see that once you change the landscape, you can never go back,” Byrne said.

Despite pleas from Huntley residents, state regulators unanimously voted to allow ComEd to build transmission lines along a village route, the Daily Herald reports. Those who live along the route say the transmission lines are an eyesore and will cause property values to plummet. “We’re very disappointed. That’s about all we can say about it,” said a Huntley homeowner. “We did everything to prove our case, but it went against us.”

State Rep. John E. Bradley of Marion threatened to come down hard on state regulators if they grant Ameren’s rate-hike request, the Daily Egyptian reports. Bradley and about 30 other Ameren customers will travel to Springfield tomorrow to make their voices heard before the ICC hearing. “We probably could get one thousand to go, but the thing is the (ICC’s) room is not that big,” Bradley said.

Gas bills are expected to be 10-25 percent higher this winter than last, writes the Chicago Tribune.  Even with the increase, gas prices are still much lower than they were in July. But that doesn’t mean we should relax, said a CUB spokesman, gas prices are volatile and can change in an instant. To help manage your utility bills this winter, try enrolling in a budget-billing plan to even out payments across the year.

Ameren customers may soon see an additional electric supplier in their area, reports the Associated Press. The ICC granted FirstEnergy Solutions Corp., the subsidiary of electric utility FirstEnergy Corp., permission to expand its services into Ameren territory.  FirstEnergy currently serves over 4.5 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. CUB’s guess is the company will NOT be offering to residential customers, only business. It hasn’t been considered a lucrative venture to take on the big utility companies and try to steal residential customers.