Bluestem Action Alert
Ask your
SB 1184:
The Affordable and
Clean Energy Standards Act (ACES)
The only
way to ultimately get our energy bills down is to use the laws of supply and
demand. The General Assembly may
reauthorize a rate freeze, but ultimately, the rates will spring back up. The
long term answer to the high cost of electricity and natural gas is to get
rates down by decreasing the demand for energy and increasing the supply.
The Affordable and Clean Energy
Standards Act (SB 1184) does that, while also dramatically reducing air pollution and carbon
emissions.
Part one of the bill mandates that the
utility companies promote energy efficiency on the consumer end. The Utilities must come up with their own
plan which will be approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission. Their
efforts must result in a decrease in use of fossil fuels.
Consumers
who take advantage of the utility company offers (which could include
promotions for compact fluorescent light bulbs, insulation, etc.) will see an
immediate drop in their utility bills.
All consumers will benefit as a decrease in demand for energy reduces
the price.
Part two is the renewable energy portfolio.
This will reduce rates in the long run because it will add to the energy supply. It will also stabilize rates by giving us
alternatives to the volatile price of fossil fuels. Utilities renewable energy portfolios must
rise to 25 percent by 2025.
Part three is adopting the 2006 International
Energy Conservation Code as the statewide residential building code. Consumers who buy energy efficient houses
will immediately and dramatically benefit from energy savings and all consumers
will benefit as reduced demand brings energy prices down.
In this year
of rate increases, the message that sells is that this bill is a long term
answer to the high cost of energy. However,
as environmentalists, we know that this bill will also dramatically reduce air
pollution and carbon emissions. The
public health benefits will be immediate and the planetary benefits will last
for generations.
This is a
state bill. You can call your
Be sure to
leave your name and address so they know you are a constituent.
More
information is on the Illinois Sierra Club Website at http://illinois.sierraclub.org. Click on legislation in the green band at the
left.
Thanks for
making the call. We can’t win without
you.
Linda
Sullivan
Lsullivan23@hotmail.com