Springfield, Ill (WAND) – Downstate Republican lawmakers sat through a nearly four-hour hearing Thursday doing a slow burn over projected sharp increases in electric rates. Rates they say are being caused by an energy bill Democrats pushed through the legislature in 2021.
Ameren told lawmakers their rates will go up starting in June. The typical customer will be pinched with a bill going up on average by $52 a month, or more. The annual increase will be around $626.
“We are facing an immediate crisis,” said State Representative Dan Caulkins, (R) Decatur. “This starts next week, June first. Our electric bills will soar.”
Ameren points to supply and demand issues along with the closure of coal-fired power stations.
