Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) today issued the following statement in opposition to House Bill 1700, a trailer bill Democrat lawmakers touted as a fix to the problems created by Senate Bill 25:
“Southern Illinois families, farmers, and small businesses need energy policies that are reliable, affordable, and rooted in reality. House Bill 1700 is not the fix Democrats promised. It is a fake fix.
“After years of failed energy policies under Governor Pritzker, Illinois is once again being asked to rely on future studies and regulatory action while existing natural gas generation remains on a path toward closure. That provides no certainty for our communities and does nothing to ease the pressure families are feeling from higher utility bills.
“In fact, this so-called fix does not even delay or stop the new energy bill charges that take effect on June 1. Illinois families will still be paying the price for the costly policies Democrats put in place, while getting nothing in return except more promises that things will somehow work out.
“Energy providers are making decisions right now, and too often that means investing in other states while Illinois falls further behind. At the same time, demand continues to grow, yet this bill fails to offer a serious plan to meet it. We are now watching a functioning power plant be dismantled and moved to Texas while Illinois continues making it harder to build and maintain reliable generation. That should be a wake-up call for everyone.
“House Bill 1700 also falls short for farmers, landowners, and communities across Southern Illinois who continue raising concerns about siting, local control, and project accountability.
“Democrats spent months telling Illinoisans that they would fix the problems they created. Instead, they passed another bill that leaves many of those same problems unresolved while asking families to trust that regulators will figure it out later. That is not a solution.
“The people of our state deserve better than this fake fix. They deserve energy policies that lower costs, protect reliability, and respect the communities that we represent.”