Power lines | Unsplash
Power lines | Unsplash
Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) recently announced her co-sponsorship of a trio of bills to reduce the rising cost of energy bills for Illinois residents.
The legislation covers the forced closures of power plants, carbon capturing technology and the speed at which new power plants come online, according to a July 25 news release.
“Illinois is both one of the top energy producing and energy consuming states in the nation,” Bryant said in the news release. “We have to make sure that the energy production and grid capacity are able to keep up with our of energy consumption. If we don’t, we face the possibility of even more utility rate increases and an even higher risk for rolling blackouts throughout much of the state.”
The first of the three bills in the package is SB 4215 which would repeal the forced 2045 closure date for coal and natural gas power plants enacted in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act of 2021. Power plants would be allowed to be built without a permit under numerous circumstances, however owners would not be relieved of their obligation to follow and comply with other regulations.
Senate Bill 4216 examines how $10 million in clean technology fees can be repurposed to retrofit coal and natural gas plants with carbon capturing technology. Additionally, the bill creates a new Power Grid Task Force to study how state laws impact energy prices and ways to improve access to reliable power.
Senate Bill 4217 eliminates the red tape from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency that prevents new power plants from coming online in a timely manner.
Bryant ran unopposed in her efforts to serve the residents of District 58, during the June 2022 election, as reported by JournalStar.
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