Metro East Sun

Jennifer Korte, Republican state representative candidate for the 112th District says the high cost of utilities that families are experiencing is a result of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) voted for by incumbent Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville). 

While Stuart touted that CEJA "preserves and creates good-paying jobs while protecting our climate, our health, our community, and our pocketbooks," Korte thinks otherwise and wonders how families will be able to afford to heat their homes during the winter with skyrocketing energy bills.

“Illinois families and seniors living on a fixed income are struggling with rising energy costs,” Korte said. “Take a look at your recent Ameren bill. I'm sure it has doubled, like mine and many others. These skyrocketing costs go far beyond just inflation. They are a direct result of bad policy decisions made at both the state and federal level[s]." 

According to a report from Utility Dive, "in April, the price rose from $5/MegaWatt (MW)-day to $236.66/MW-day in several Midwestern states, including Illinois (part of MISO’s Zone 4). The increase was “driven by an uptick in projected electricity use and a dip in power supply,” the Citizens Utility board noted. Korte said that the dip in the power supply is a direct result of the Katie Stuart-backed CEJA legislation. She said it is not just families suffering from Stuart’s policies, claiming the legislation is leading directly to lost jobs and wages. 

“Granite City Steel is closing and with it 1,000 good-paying United Steelworkers jobs,” Korte said. “The IEPA insists that the refinery in Wood River, which employs nearly 1,000 people with a payroll of $150 million and pays over $25 million in local property taxes, be neutral in its carbon footprint. Their future is in jeopardy because of Katie Stuart’s radical policies." 

Korte said that there should be a better measure than CEJA.

“Let's face it. Illinois is a tough place to do business in," she said. "We have the highest property taxes in the nation, an agenda from the Illinois EPA that is dictated from the Chicago political machine and higher workers comp rates than all of our neighboring states. We need to repeal CEJA and enact common sense legislation that balances the need to protect the environment while preserving good-paying union jobs and the companies that employ them.” 

Korte is facing Stuart in the Nov. 8 election. The 112th district includes parts of Madison and St. Clair counties and the communities of Edwardsville and Collinsville.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) has panned Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. The plan seeks to move all fossil fuel plants off-line in favor of renewable energy. Critics argue the plan is not fully forged and could compromise energy access. Bailey told the farmers at The Illinois Agricultural Legislative Roundtable that the governor's "energy policies are a little more than impractical virtue signals and cannot succeed with the speed of his promises. We all want a clear plan, but JB has bet the farm, he's bet our farms, and he's thrown snake eyes every time,” Capitol News reported.

According to her campaign website, Korte promises to "work to roll back Illinois’ recently passed extreme energy policies that drastically raise utility costs on families and seniors living on a fixed income." She said, “It’s time to stabilize rising energy prices and help working families better afford to live and work in Illinois." Korte, according to her website, "supports law enforcement and will fight for safer communities. She will be an accessible citizen-legislator who will listen to the citizens of the 112th district. Jennifer and her husband, Nathan, have been married for 24 years. They are proud parents to three children. Jennifer is passionate about parental rights, senior citizens advocacy, mental health awareness, and women’s issues.”