The following is a statement from Citizens Utility Board (CUB) Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz reacting to a motion filed by Peoples Gas today seeking to get permission from the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to claw back $134 million of disallowed funding for its pipeline-replacement program in 2024. If approved, this…...
Alert: Having trouble with your energy bills? LIHEAP reopens Oct. 2
As we head into the winter heating season, CUB urges eligible consumers to apply for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding. The application process reopens. Oct. 2. Here’s the schedule for this fall: Oct. 2: LIHEAP begins taking applications for seniors (age 60 or older), people with disabilities…...
Update on record-breaking rate hikes in 2023
By Eric DeBellis CUB General Counsel Regulatory Counsel Laura Loyd and I are dealing with a record six rate cases, totaling a whopping $2.9 billion. Where do the rate cases stand? Over the past year, CUB has filed expert testimony uncovering the utilities’ attempts to get state regulators to approve…...
CUB asks Illinois consumers to support the Ethics in Energy Act
It’s bad enough that utilities join industry and trade groups that push bad, anti-consumer policy. But it’s even worse that consumers actually foot the bill for those activities. That’s right, our monthly gas and electric bills help cover the utilities’ membership dues to groups that actively work against our interests. …...
Consumer advocates to Illinois utilities: Pause shut-offs in storm-ravaged areas
Consumer advocates are calling on utilities across the state–including Ameren Illinois, Commonwealth Edison, Peoples Gas and Nicor Gas–to issue a moratorium on utility shut-offs and offer special assistance to help residents of areas ravaged by extreme summer weather. Leaders from a number of advocacy groups, including the Citizens Utility Board…...
Check out July gas prices–more head-scratching at CUB
Illinois utilities have filed their July gas prices with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and they’re fairly consistent with what we saw in June. One big exception: Consumers Gas has its prices rising 185 percent in just one month. As we reported in June, the volatility of the gas market often…...
