How do you take on one of the most powerful special interests in your state? One key ingredient: teamwork.
In March, Illinois PIRG joined AARP Illinois and the Environmental Law & Policy Center to form the Take Our Power Back coalition. The goal: to organize people across the state and win restitution, regulation and reform in the wake of Commonwealth Edison’s (ComEd) corruption scandal, which contributed to automatic utility rate hikes that have added more than $5 billion to ComEd’s coffers and raised electricity delivery rates by 37 percent since 2012.
“Among other necessary actions, we need an independent audit of ComEd’s spending over the past decade to understand its extraordinary spending levels and to ensure customer benefits going forward,” said Illinois PIRG State Director Abe Scarr. “And any energy legislation passed this year must include meaningful utility accountability and reform.”
On March 18, the coalition held events activating Illinois PIRG and AARP Illinois’ collective membership base of 1.7 million to contact their legislators in support of Take Our Power Back’s agenda.
ComEd's bribery and corruption cost its customers millions. We're calling for restitution, restored oversight, and reforms to ensure they can't do it again.
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Photo: Due in part to the utility’s long-standing influence on energy policy, ComEd’s electricity customers are paying 37 percent more than they did in 2012 — when in fact, declines in power supply prices over the last decade should have led to lower electric bills. Credit: analogicus via Pixabay
Aaron Colonnese
Former Content Creator, Editorial & Creative Team, The Public Interest Network