Carbondale Reporter

Sen. Terri Bryant co-sponsored three bills to address Illinoisans’ energy bills.

“Illinois is both one of the top energy producing and energy consuming states in the nation,” Bryant said. “We have to make sure that the energy production and grid capacity are able to keep up with our energy consumption. If we don’t, we face the possibility of even more utility rate increases and an even higher risk for rolling blackouts throughout much of the state.”

The Illinois Environmental Council noted Illinois electricity is a mix of 7% natural gas, 30% coal-fire, 54% nuclear and 10% renewables.

The first of the three bills in the package is Senate Bill 4215. The bill would repeal the forced 2045 closure date for coal and natural gas power plants enacted in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) of 2021. It would allow companies to build new gas peaker plants. 

The bill sets out the reason that various permits would not be required but makes clear that power plant owners are not relieved of their obligation to follow and comply with other regulations.

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) created a draft of the Renewable Energy Access Plan (REAP) which outlined a goal to reach 50% using renewable energy by 2040.

Senate Bill 4216 focuses on how fees would be used. It looks at how to repurpose $10 million from those fees to fund clean technology for retrofitting coal and natural gas plants with carbon capturing technology. It also includes the creation of a new Power Grid Task Force to study the effect of state laws, including CEJA, on energy prices as well as grid reliability. The task force would also study ways to improve the power supply mix within the state and deployment of new technologies.

“The transition to 100% clean energy requires tremendous and active collaboration between state agencies, regional transmission organizations, consumer advocate groups and industry experts to get the job done right,” ICC Executive Director Michael Merchant said in a statement to Utility Drive. “We want to hear from all interested stakeholders and encourage all to review the first draft of the REAP and provide (comments) for consideration into the second draft to be finalized in the fall.”

Senate Bill 4217 eliminates red tape from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency that prevents new power plants from coming online promptly. It will expedite the state permitting process.

Crain’s Chicago Business reported the Energy Transition Act of 2021 helped kickstart various energy policies for the state’s complex energy infrastructure.

On June 28, Bryant ran unopposed in her efforts to serve the residents of District 58, Journal Star reported.