Over the past month, thousands of Illinois families opened their July utility bills and got hit with a wave of sticker shock — some bills doubled, others tripled. And while Governor Pritzker offers excuses and vague promises of future reform, working families are left to absorb the consequences of his failed energy policy.

Since the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) passed back in 2021, Senate Republicans and I have been raising the alarm. We warned what would happen if Illinois rushed to shut down reliable power sources without a backup plan. And now, those warnings have come true.

This isn’t a coincidence. It’s the direct result of a law that was pushed through without thinking through the consequences and it’s being made worse by a Governor who’s more interested in headlines than real solutions.

CEJA set ambitious goals: 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 and a carbon-free power sector by 2045. Sounds great for some in theory. But here’s the reality. The latest numbers suggest, Illinois was only getting about 14 percent of its electricity from renewables. Ten percent. That makes the 2025 benchmark of 25 percent a pipe dream. We’re nowhere close.

Then came the real gut punch. In March, Ameren Illinois got new rate results from the MISO grid operator. The cost to ensure enough power capacity skyrocketed from $30 to a stunning $666 per megawatt. That spike hit residents on June 1. It wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t mismanagement. It was a policy failure. Plain and simple.

And what’s Governor Pritzker doing about it? He’s pointing fingers. Blaming the grid. Blaming the market. Blaming everyone except the very administration that pushed these policies in the first place. Meanwhile, working families and small businesses are stuck footing the bill.

I voted against CEJA then, and I’m not staying silent now. I’ve introduced a legislative package to deal with this crisis head-on, right now.

First, Senate Bill 1234 creates a Generation Reliability Task Force. This team will dig into how CEJA and other energy laws are impacting prices and reliability using real data, not political spin.

Second, Senate Bill 1235 puts the brakes on the 2045 shutdown of coal and natural gas plants. It also clears the way to build new natural gas peaker plants, which help keep the lights on when renewables fall short, like during heat waves or cold snaps.

And third, Senate Bill 1236 cuts through the bureaucratic mess at the Illinois EPA. We’ve had critical energy projects like the Lincoln Land Energy Center stuck in permitting limbo for over a decade. That’s unacceptable. We need to modernize that process so reliable power can actually get online, not sit on a desk collecting dust.

Let me be clear, this isn’t about turning our backs on clean energy. It’s about being honest with people. Right now, wind and solar alone cannot power Illinois homes and businesses 24/7. And the Governor’s refusal to face that fact is hurting the very people he claims to protect.

And let’s talk about nuclear. It’s clean. It’s reliable. It’s affordable. But instead of expanding it, the Governor keeps pretending we can power an entire state with solar panels and wishful thinking.

The bottom line? Illinois families are already stretched thin by taxes, groceries, housing costs and now they’re being hit with sky-high energy bills too. That’s not fair. And it’s not sustainable.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about people. It’s about making sure folks can cool their homes in the summer and heat them in the winter without going broke. It’s about creating an energy plan that’s balanced, practical, and affordable.

The Governor had his chance to get this right. He didn’t. Now families are paying the price. I’m here to work for the people who can’t afford to wait another year for common sense energy reform. Enough is enough. Let’s fix this problem now!

If you agree, help me take action by signing my petition urging Governor Pritzker to act on my energy relief bill package to lower utility bill costs. Sign here.