NW Illinois News

Illinois State Senator Li Arellano Jr. has raised concerns about the state’s current energy situation, warning that rising prices and potential blackouts could threaten residents and businesses if changes are not made.

According to Arellano, energy costs have increased significantly over the summer. "Residents in northern Illinois saw their bills with Commonwealth Edison rise an average of $10.60 per month, while my downstate Ameren constituents saw increases of nearly $45 per month," he stated.

Arellano warned that if action is not taken soon, the state could face more severe consequences. "Residents are taking a financial hit right now, and soon Illinois could face a more dangerous stage of our energy supply crisis with rolling blackouts and unreliable electricity—putting the economy, and even lives, at risk."

He pointed to California’s past experience with rolling blackouts as an example of what might happen in Illinois. "We have seen this before, such as in California, where blackouts created serious safety risks as traffic lights, elevators, and street lighting failed. The economic fallout was painful—businesses had to shut down and factories halted production. As a long-time restaurant owner myself, I understood the loss of food spoilage and having to cut employees hours as sales were lost."

Arellano added that power outages can be especially dangerous during extreme weather events: "Worst of all, in extreme heat or cold, losing power can mean losing the ability to keep struggling families and individuals safe. This isn’t spreading fear—it’s a willingness to understand and mitigate known problems that are coming and proactively address them."

He attributed much of the problem to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), which set goals for Illinois to reach zero emissions by 2050. "CEJA set overambitious goals for the state to reach zero emissions by 2050. This plan has led to the closing of traditional power plants faster than renewables can replace them, greatly damaging our ability to provide the 'supply side' of energy. To be clear: Illinois simply cannot meet its needs with renewables alone," Arellano said.

Arellano also noted that new industrial projects like data centers and artificial intelligence facilities are increasing demand on the grid: "Expansions in data centers, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) have big upside for jobs and progress, but they require enormous amounts of power—spiking the 'demand side' of energy. Our grid cannot sustain this growth without coal and natural gas in the mix. CEJA has created a dangerous tension between economic growth on the 'demand side' and our production ability to make energy available on the 'supply side'."

To address these issues, Arellano proposed several reforms:

"Eliminate unrealistic mandates: The idea that Illinois will be emission-free by 2050 is not realistic. Closing coal and natural gas plants by 2045 without alternatives in place threatens reliability and discourages investment. We need these plants to keep our grid stable, and to help drive the economic growth needed to make Illinois affordable again. Without economic growth, our long-term plans are simply unattainable."

"Lift the nuclear moratorium: Nuclear provides reliable baseload power that is stable and runs 24/7. It keeps factories, hospitals, and data centers running. It is reliable when weather places high demands on households. It is also carbon-free. If we are shutting down coal and gas, then nuclear power must be part of the solution. It takes time to build nuclear power generation, though, and thus does not replace the need to eliminate unrealistic government mandates."

"Speed up permit approvals: Power plants of all kinds face years of red tape in Illinois. The Lincoln Land Energy Center in Pawnee is a prime example: it began the permitting process in 2017 and is not expected to be online until 2028. We must streamline approvals so projects can come online when they are needed."

"Empower individuals to create their own power: We must ensure that Illinoisans do not have government regulations unnecessarily blocking their ability to install small-scale power generation in their own homes and businesses. This means protecting fair net metering, and ensuring public utilities support individuals who use local power generation to lower their own bills and reduce strain on the grid."

"The bottom line: If we want to avoid the devastation of an energy crisis, we must act now. These reforms, including rolling back harmful mandates, investing in nuclear, cutting red tape, and ensuring utilities allow individual energy production will keep Illinois energy reliable and affordable," he concluded.

Arellano was elected as a Republican senator representing Illinois’ 37th Senate District after replacing Win Stoller in 2025.