SE Illinois News

The office of Rep. Adam Niemerg has issued the following press release:

The availability of affordable and reliable energy for Illinois residents is in jeopardy thanks to legislation rammed through the House this week, according to State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) who voted against the bill.

The legislation includes a $200 million energy transformation tax increase, and a $700 million-plus bailout for northern Illinois nuclear power company ComEd and Exelon. Representative Niemerg is issuing the following statement after voting “NO” on Senate Bill 2408.

“This legislation is nothing but a goodie bag for special interests. The cost of electricity will go up and, in some areas, it will go up dramatically thanks to the arbitrary timetable to reduce carbon emissions by 2035. What happens in Illinois is not going to make one iota of a difference in terms of solving the climate change debate. What will happen and what is happening is that we are making the same mistakes that Texas and California have made. This plan calls for the shuttering of Peaker plants which supply power during peak energy use such as on cold winter days and hot summer days – of which we have an abundance here in Illinois. This means we are in for rolling blackouts and dangerous conditions for our elderly population.

Further, it violates private property rights by allowing Invenergy to use eminent domain to take private property away from private citizens in seven counties for the purpose of building a single transmission line, the Grain Belt Express direct current transmission line. Private companies should not be able to take property away from citizens. It is just wrong.

This bill represents everything that is wrong in Illinois. As usual the influence peddlers and special interests win big at the expense of the rest of us. Our energy policy should be guided by the need to maintain access to affordable and reliable energy for our residents and our businesses and this bill does the exact opposite.

Illinois has an abundance of natural resources. The Governor’s war on coal and natural gas is not going to substantially reduce our nation’s carbon footprint. All we are accomplishing is killing the southern Illinois economy, costing jobs, and making electricity less affordable and less reliable. This legislation is a boondoggle that will have negative repercussions in our state for years to come.”