Opinion: Senator Harriss: A Real Plan Needed To Stabilize Energy Costs As Summer Rate Hikes Hit Families

GLEN CARBON - As temperatures rise and air conditioning use increases, Illinois families are facing yet another financial blow: higher electricity bills. At a time when households are already grappling with inflation, the latest rate increases couldn’t come at a worse time. While recent grid auctions may be the trigger, the real issue lies in flawed energy policies and bureaucratic delays that are now catching up with us.

In March 2025, Ameren Illinois received updated electric rate results from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the regional grid operator for southern Illinois. These revealed a staggering spike in capacity auction prices from just $30 per megawatt to an unprecedented $666. As a result, electricity rates will increase for many customers beginning June 1. This sharp rise is not due to utility mismanagement, but rather a broader policy failure that has left our grid under-resourced and our state unprepared.

These rate hikes are not inevitable. Many are the result of rushed decisions in Springfield, especially the implementation of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). That law pushed aggressive shutdowns of coal and natural gas plants without ensuring a stable backup plan to meet rising demand.

I wasn’t in the Senate when CEJA passed, but I’m committed to helping find solutions for Illinois families who will, in turn, pay the price for Illinois’ flawed energy policies.

That’s why I’ve joined my colleagues in proposing a legislative package to tackle this crisis head-on. Our goal is not to abandon clean energy, but to restore balance, stability, and common sense to Illinois’ energy policy.

The first part of the package, Senate Bill 1234, would establish the Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task Force. This task force would take a serious, data-driven look at how CEJA and other energy laws are affecting both electricity prices and grid reliability.

The second measure, Senate Bill 1235, rolls back CEJA’s mandated 2045 shutdown of coal and gas plants and allows the construction of new gas peaker plants without the looming threat of arbitrary closure. This isn’t about rejecting renewables, it’s about acknowledging that wind and solar are not currently in a position to meet our 24/7 energy needs, especially during extreme weather events.

The final piece, Senate Bill 1236, cuts through the red tape at the Illinois EPA, which has delayed vital energy projects for years. When a facility like the Lincoln Land Energy Center remains stuck in permitting purgatory for more than a decade, it's clear that the system is broken. We must modernize and streamline the permitting process so reliable power can come online faster.

This legislative package isn’t about politics, it’s about people. It’s about ensuring families can afford to cool their homes in the summer and stay warm in the winter. It’s about allowing businesses to grow without being crushed by unpredictable utility costs. And it’s about building an energy future that is not just cleaner, but smarter, more balanced, and more reliable.

Illinois can still be a national leader in energy, but that leadership must be rooted in reality. It’s time for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to come together, examine the unintended consequences of past decisions, and act now to ensure our energy system is affordable, dependable, and future-ready.

Anything less is a disservice to the people of Illinois—who are, quite literally, paying the price.

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