Illinois Commerce Commission

They might just call it something different.

In Illinois, for example, it's the Illinois Commerce Commission.

And speaking of that, Kavi, what does the role of the ICC look like in Illinois right now?

We, in the POWER Act, we punt a lot of things to the, to the Illinois Commerce Commission to figure out, uh, the details, and, uh, you know, it's always, like, a little dance of how much specificity you wanna put in statute to help guide proceedings versus how vague you wanna keep it to make sure there's a really thorough process with all the stakeholders involved and, like, legal proceedings happening.

So a lot will go to Illinois Commerce Commission.

But separately, there's also a large load tariff case going on, uh, with ComEd right now, and, you know, we're still waiting on the full results of that.

If the proceeding, you know, results in something that is something like a bring your own you clean energy sort of thing, then we can really just firm it up in statute.

At a news conference at City Hall, nearly 40 elected officials announced a signed letter urging state regulators to reject the utility's request for a $144 million rate increase.

If approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission, Average monthly bills for residential customers would jump by $7 to $8 starting in January.

Watchdogs warned that would mark a 71% increase in gas rates over just four years.

Capitol News Illinois reports the pushback comes as state data reveals nearly one in five People's Gas customers is already behind on their bills, owing more than $92 million combined.

In fact, aggressive pipeline replacement has been shown to undermine system safety.

The group of elected officials all signed on to a letter to the Illinois Commerce Commission asking it to reject the $144 million request.

If approved, the average residential customer would see a $7 to $8 monthly bill increase.

But consumer advocates say it adds up to a 71% rate increase over the last four years.

Although it's that all over the nation, uh, September 21st through the 27th, so it'll still go for a couple of more days.

The Illinois Commerce Commission and Operation Lifesaver, which is a national rail safety nonprofit, are raising awareness, drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists on how to stay safe around railroad tracks and trains.

And so they had their, uh, awareness ceremony yesterday, um, at the Sangamon County Complex at 9:30 in the morning, which is a curious time to hold something when it's the busiest time of day [laughs] at the County Complex.

So, uh, we...

But, uh, thank you to the Illinois Commerce Commission for letting us know about some things, including details that every three hours a person or a vehicle in the US is struck by a train.

And Illinois is the second largest rail system in the nation.

And, uh, this year's Rail Safety Week, um, ICC has approved over $90 million to consolidate the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern through Springfield.

A rejected first plan forced Ameren to rework its Illinois grid case.

The Illinois Commerce Commission rejected Ameren Illinois' initial four-year grid plan, sending the utility back to revise its proposal after months of stakeholder workshops.

When the commission approved the resubmitted plan in December 2024, it also cut Ameren's requested rate increase by roughly 7% to $309 million, while still authorizing the underlying grid work the company needed to keep the system reliable.

The process kept investment moving.

So I have two comments.

First of all, the whole study that says you're going to get a dollar back what was done before the bill that passed was even written, okay? It was a summer study by the Illinois Commerce Commission that said if you do something like this, you'll get a dollar back once it's done.

Then the bill passed.

So the study that they're all citing doesn't even, didn't even comprehend or contemplate, I guess is a better phrase, didn't even contemplate the actual, you know, provisions of the bill that ultimately passed because it wasn't even written when the study was done.

While the Attorney General's Office says the deal ensures revenue goes toward local workers' wages rather than corporate profits, critics, including the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, argue utility policy shouldn't act as a jobs program, warning it could incentivize unnecessary spending on fossil fuel infrastructure.

The overall settlement now rests in the hands of the Illinois Commerce Commission for final approval.

Illinois is set to become the first Midwestern state to allow medical aid in dying this weekend, after a federal judge rejected a last-minute legal challenge to halt the law.

Crane's John Asplund reports that beginning Saturday, September 12, Illinois will allow terminally ill, mentally capable adults to request lethal medication prescribed by a doctor.