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THANKS FOR ELECTRIC RELIEF
When people talk about high electricity bills, families and individuals are the first who come to mind. But businesses are heavily impacted by electricity prices, especially small business owners who have to pay higher electricity prices at home and at their business.
To give you an idea of how electricity price spikes hurt me and my small business, WindSolarUSA, I experienced rate increases of 18-22% at my home, which houses my home office that I work from four days per week. Fortunately, because of the business that I own and operate, I was able to expand my solar system to better meet my load and add two batteries to store my excess generation during the day so I can dispatch it at night or in times of a grid outage to keep my home powered and fully operational with clean energy from the sun.
An important achievement happened this fall that will help businesses across the state, as well as families. On Jan. 8, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act, a direct solution to address the historic electricity prices. When we needed relief the most, Gov. Pritzker and Sen. Doris Turner stepped up to help their constituents by passing and signing this vital legislation.
Not only will CRGA cut electricity prices, but it invests in the future of our grid to keep costs down and keep the grid running smoothly. Over time, Illinois will make its investment in CRGA back at a 12:1 ratio, and any business will tell you to take that deal every time.
Thank you again to Gov. Pritzker and Sen. Turner for supporting the small businesses that make up the backbone of our capital city’s local economy.
Michelle Knox
Springfield
PONY UP
It’s interesting that two data center projects have appeared in central Illinois over the last few months. Both are selling huge financial benefits to the local governments. They might perform on their promises, but they might not. So far, the proponents of these projects seem to be very confident that the massive power and water requirements will never impact rates for area residents. Maybe, but maybe not.
Since these companies appear to be financially able to build and operate at such a large scale over numerous states, it’s probably a good idea to have total visibility into the source of their financial strength. There has been much written about how the big AI players are generating so much wealth for themselves and their investors. I would encourage our local decision-makers to have a crystal clear view into the whole financial system behind these projects. And then demand enough cash up front to protect local ratepayers from huge price increases for at least 50 years. This, of course, would be on top of the property taxes they are pledging to deliver.
There is a strategy in the business world, often overlooked, that is simply: “Put your money where your mouth is.” Proceed with caution, local leaders.
Mike Bartscht
Springfield
IT’S ABOUT OIL
President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela are terrifying. He claims he’s doing this because Nicolas Maduro is a dictator – but we know the truth. It’s all about oil.
What’s worse is that Republicans in Congress are going to keep letting Pete Hegseth and Trump do whatever they want. We need a check on their lawlessness.
I’m grateful that my representative, Nikki Budzinski, was quick to call him out for this. There’s no need to be provoking foreign nations and risking soldiers’ lives all to give a leg up to his Big Oil buddies.
We already have so much to fear with this administration’s use of ICE and stepping on the Constitution – the last thing we need is a crisis abroad. Our focus should be on strengthening our democracy and solving real problems. We deserve leaders who are measured and responsible.
Julie Dailey
Springfield
This article appears in January 29-February 4, 2026.
