• Electric choice has cost Illinois ratepayers nearly $2 billion, report finds
  • Account
  • Donate
Clean energy journalism for a cooler tomorrow

Midwest Energy News — a daily newsletter

Electric choice has cost Illinois ratepayers nearly $2 billion, report finds

By Andy Balaskovitz

  • Link copied to clipboard

UTILITIES: Illinois ratepayers have paid an extra $1.8 billion since 2015 by choosing alternative energy suppliers over traditional utilities like ComEd and Ameren, according to a consumer advocate’s analysis. (Daily Herald)

ALSO: A utility serving about 13,500 customers in South Dakota will add a roughly $4 fee on customer bills to pay for a new natural gas plant, and building and repowering wind projects. (South Dakota Searchlight)

CLIMATE: Gen Z voters in Ohio and other states say climate change ranks among their top priorities in this year’s presidential and down-ballot elections. (Ohio Capital Journal)

CLEAN ENERGY: An Illinois public school district could invest in dozens of projects to save money and reach a 100% carbon-free electricity target, according to an Ameren Illinois study. (WCBU)

SOLAR:

  • Opponents of a proposed 800 MW Ohio solar project may turn to the state Supreme Court to block the project after regulators denied repeated challenges. (WCMH)
  • Residents say they’ve received little information from the developer of a proposed 100 MW solar project in a small southeastern Nebraska town. (KMTV)
  • Developers break ground on a 6.2 MW community solar project in Rockford, Illinois, that includes housing and employment nonprofits as partners. (Solar Industry)

HYDROELECTRIC: Southern Minnesota county officials vote to remove a former hydroelectric dam that was badly damaged during major flooding in June, following years of debate about whether to fix or replace it. (Star Tribune)

PIPELINES:

  • Western Iowa landowners raise public safety and environmental concerns with a developer’s proposal to expand a carbon pipeline by 330 miles. (KMALand)
  • The Summit carbon pipeline developer faces similar concerns from farmers in Minnesota, where the company is pursuing a relatively small 28-mile stretch but plans to later apply for an expansion. (Star Tribune)

GRID: Rural Michigan residents raise concerns about how they’d be affected by the development of multiple high-voltage transmission projects planned over the coming years. (MLive, subscription)

NUCLEAR: ​“Everybody is looking at us,” says an operations manager for Holtec, the company that’s in the process of becoming the first to reopen a decommissioned nuclear plant in Michigan. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)

BIOFUELS: Minnesota business and biofuel groups applaud Congress members for promoting sustainable aviation fuel and the benefits it could provide in-state producers. (KIMT)

read next