NW Illinois News

Last week, a Senate hearing on energy policy highlighted concerns over the impact of current state policies on Illinois families and businesses. According to testimony from green energy companies, the potential loss of federal tax credits could halt the state's solar industry. Manufacturers and business groups also raised issues about rising utility rates, long permitting delays, and regulatory hurdles.

Speaker Welch and Governor Pritzker have stated that Illinois is making progress in energy policy. However, some lawmakers argue that the state is falling behind as utility bills increase, manufacturing jobs face uncertainty, and investment leaves Illinois.

Illinois State Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna), who was elected to represent the 89th House District in 2023 after Andrew Chesney, addressed these issues in a recent column. McCombie said, "Speaker Welch and Governor Pritzker like to pretend Illinois is leading the way on energy. But the truth is we are falling further behind while utility bills skyrocket, manufacturing jobs are at risk, and investment dollars leave our state."

McCombie explained her support for the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2021: "I supported it for one reason: to keep Illinois’ nuclear plants like Byron and Cordova alive. Illinois is blessed with one of the strongest nuclear fleets in the nation and protecting that baseload power was essential." She added that without provisions supporting nuclear plants, she would not have backed CEJA.

She continued: "Unfortunately, Democrats used it as a vehicle to slip in unrealistic shutdown dates and expensive subsidies for other energy sources." McCombie has introduced legislation each year since then to repeal parts of CEJA she views as harmful.

"That’s why I filed legislation to repeal those harmful portions and have done so every year since. I will keep fighting to fix the bad parts of CEJA because Illinois cannot afford an energy policy that puts politics before people," McCombie said.

She also referenced actions by other states: "Other states are extending the use of coal plants and delaying shutdown deadlines to protect reliability and affordability. Illinois should do the same, rather than racing toward policies that drive prices higher and reliability lower."

McCombie called for a shift away from what she described as political approaches: "Energy policy should be about reliability, affordability, and security not political theater. Families don’t care about slogans; they care about whether they can afford their electric bill and whether the lights stay on when it’s 100 degrees or -10."

"As House Republican Leader, I’ll continue fighting for real, practical solutions that keep costs down, protect jobs, and ensure our energy future is secure. That means embracing all energy as good energy and putting Illinois families first," McCombie concluded.