Carbondale Reporter

State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton) addressed the Illinois House on Wednesday, criticizing Democratic lawmakers for supporting legislation that he says has led to significant increases in energy prices for families and businesses across the state. Severin currently serves as the House Republican ranking member on the House Energy & Environment Committee.

In remarks delivered from the House floor, Severin reflected on a recent interview with Tom Miller of WJPF Radio in Carterville, Illinois, who is retiring after 49 years in broadcasting. Severin said Miller is a "working man" who, like many residents, has been affected by rising costs.

Severin stated, “Earlier this week, I had the privilege of joining Tom Miller of WJPF Radio in Carterville, Illinois, for an interview.

Shortly after my interview with Tom, he announced that he will be retiring from broadcasting after an amazing 49 years in the business.

We don’t have many celebrities in Southern Illinois, but Tom Miller is about as close as it gets.

However, Tom is a regular guy — he’s not a rich man — he’s a working man, and he feels the pinch when prices go up just the same as the thousands of people who tuned in to listen to him every morning for decades.

At one point in the interview, we switched topics to the state of energy and the cost of electricity in this state.

Tom asked me about the pending energy legislation in this House and a recent hearing we had with energy companies and advocates.

Back in May, as the Republican Spokesman on the House Energy & Environment Committee, I called for joint hearings to look into the cause of an enormous spike in energy delivery costs after the MISO auction for the summer months resulted in capacity prices 22 times higher than last summer’s prices.

If you’re like me, your offices were inundated with calls from frightened individuals and businesses after their electricity bills came back two and three times higher than last summer.

This body has voted to take critical energy production capacity offline in pursuit of the Green New Deal — and the cost to consumers has been devastating.

We never had those hearings in the Energy & Environment Committee. But, funny enough, last week we had an Executive Committee hearing on the latest energy omnibus bill. I was happy to sub in to that committee, but I was disturbed when I heard an executive from a large electricity provider confirm that SB 25, as written, would drive electricity prices even higher with new surcharges.

So, going back to my interview with Tom Miller on Monday morning — Tom asked me for a favor. Tom said, “Please tell your fellow legislators to stop ‘helping’ me with my electric bill.”

Your “help” has been hurting everyone who flips on a light, turns on their heat or air conditioning, and every business and homeowner in this state.

So please — stop “helping” the people I represent by passing huge energy bills that end up giving my constituents huge energy bills.”

Severin was elected as a Republican representative to Illinois' 116th House District in 2023, succeeding David Friess.

The official website where these remarks were posted reminds readers that campaign-related content is prohibited due to ethics regulations.