Illinois Valley Times

State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) recently introduced a bill that would establish a "100 percent clean energy economy" in Illinois, according to a press release.

According to the release, the Climate Union Jobs Act (CUJA) would provide additional renewable energy generation while establishing new accountability and transparency requirements for utilities; the bill would also preserve Illinois’ nuclear fleet by ensuring the security of 28,000 existing jobs while creating conditions to put hundreds of thousands of union laborers to work.

"The Climate Union Jobs  Act will help protect thousands of well-paying jobs while reducing the  state’s carbon energy footprint," Rezin said in a Facebook post, "I look  forward to working with David Allen Welter, state representative (R-Morris), state Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa) and the other co-sponsors as we move forward with this legislation."

The CUJA was planned in partnership with labor coalition Climate Change Illinois (CJI). 

One provision of the bill would provide $150 million in energy rate relief for low-income families.

“This legislation puts working families at the center of Illinois’ clean energy efforts where they should be,” Rezin said, “By preserving the Dresden nuclear plant, we can keep delivering hundreds of middle-class jobs for families and carbon-free electricity for the state. I look  forward to working with my colleagues to make this legislation law.”

State  Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Frankfort) and state Reps. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago), Larry  Walsh, Jr. (D-Elwood), and Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville) have also thrown their support behind CUJA.

"For decades, union men and women have built the infrastructure that powers Illinois’ future. We should put them to work again as the state sets out to build a clean energy economy. Passing this ambitious yet achievable legislation, we can lower unemployment, reduce emissions and close income inequality from Chicago to Cairo and Moline to Mahomet,” CJI  Executive Director Joe Duffy said. “We look forward to working with Sen. Rezin, her colleagues in the General Assembly and other stakeholders during this session to enact legislation that will help build a cleaner, fairer state.”

The CUJA would preserve the state's nuclear fleet by creating 74 million megawatt-hour Carbon Mitigation credits for zero-emission facilities.

In the interest of establishing new accountability and transparency requirements, the bill would end formula rates and return to traditional rate-making in order to provide customers with the best value.

Utilities would also be required to take part in annual standards and compliance audits to ensure customers pay actual and reasonable costs.