Grundy Reporter

With the recent federal bribery scandal that led to Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) having to pay $200 million in fines still in the news, the parent company of ComEd, Exelon, is now pushing legislation titled as the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA).

Critics, however, allege the bill contains a mechanism that would raise Illinois electricity prices in order to prop-up the company's already-profitable nuclear efforts. 

In the Illinois Review, Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association, recently advocated for increased emphasis on competitive power markets, which would assist the state in meeting its clean energy goals without forcing ratepayers to carry the costs of large corporations. Additionally, the piece pushes for holding legislators and clean-energy advocates to their past promises to not permit incumbent generators and utilities to make the decisions on what is included in energy legislation, leading to the corporations' interests trumping those of ratepayers.

Snitchler alleged that a portion of the CEJA known as the Fixed Resource Requirement "could raise Illinois electricity prices by more than $414 million each year." 

In contrast, much of northern Illinois is currently benefiting from a competitive power market, Snitchler said.

"Competitive power suppliers like our members bring their best bid to provide reliable, affordable electricity to the regulated marketplace serving customers across many states," he said. "If power-producing plants aren’t profitable, their owners take them offline and absorb those costs, rather than making consumers pay for them."

However, if the CEJA were to be passed, it would could end all that, he said.

"The Exelon-driven CEJA would cripple the competitive market for ComEd customers by creating a special power market that gives priority to nuclear power owned by an Exelon affiliate – and ratepayers will suffer for it," Snitchler said. "Customers need more competitive choices to provide reliable power at the best possible price, not giving corporations involved in criminal conduct even greater control."