On August 3rd, State Rep. Ann Williams was interviewed by Newsradio WJPF to discuss the jump in energy prices experienced by Ameren customers in Southern Illinois and what needs to be done to continue to implement CEJA.
Rep. Williams underscored the unsustainability of energy price increases for “[b]usinesses already struggling with workforce issues [and] still recovering from pandemic losses.” She explained the fault of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) saying that “they have been slow to react to getting more power on the grid. They have a lot of power sources in the queue that we need to get producing power. They are falling behind in their responsibilities.”
Additionally, she explained that MISO doesn’t seem to have a sense of urgency regarding the economic hardship many individuals and communities are facing from their high energy bills. To improve the situation, Rep. Williams acknowledged that the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) needs to be implemented quickly. “We saw the [energy] crisis coming in Springfield and worked hard to pass CEJA and that needs to be implemented to get these renewables on the grid,” Rep. Williams explained. “Urgency has to be the name of the game here. It needs to happen for customers, companies, and the climate crisis.”
Rep. Williams emphasized that prices have increased for Ameren customers, but not ComEd customers due to ComEd’s decision to participate in a CEJA formula that subsidizes energy from non-carbon energy sources. She emphasized that other measures will have to be taken to reduce energy prices for people served by Ameren who did not see this benefit. In the long term, Rep. Williams described that implementing CEJA and taking action to transition towards renewable energy will be beneficial.
Please click HERE to listen to the interview. For more information or questions, please contact Ann@RepAnnWilliams.com or (773) 880-9082.