Lawmakers fail to pass bill that would have unlocked low-cost energy for millions of households: 'Would have saved people money'

Illinois lawmakers failed to pass an omnibus bill intended, among other things, to incentivize improvements to the electric grid and to energy storage, throwing a wrench in the state's momentum for renewables.

What's happening?

The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, or CRGA Act, failed to pass before the state's regular legislative session ended in May, according to Canary Media.

As an omnibus bill, the sizable package contained a lot of proposals. Featuring prominently were incentives for battery storage projects aimed at strengthening solar energy systems in the state and other grid improvements.

Illinois has passed two major laws to galvanize clean energy initiatives since 2017. The Future Energy Jobs Act and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act have both contributed to a boom in solar projects and jobs across the state.

But this latest bill was contested by opponents, including some involved in dirty energy industries like petroleum, who expressed concerns that it would be too costly for businesses and consumers. Canary Media reported that cost concerns "spooked some large industrial consumers and the labor unions representing their workers."

Why is the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act important?

The CRGA Act was introduced, in part, to expand Illinois' infrastructure for storing and moving electricity, improving grid efficiency and accommodating an influx of clean energy resulting from the last decade's solar boom. Proponents want to see the state build on its progress since 2017 — not stagnate without sufficient infrastructure and processes in place.

Despite concerns from some that consumers would have to pay more to accommodate grid projects, proponents of the bill said it would lower energy bills. This is because it is expected to be cheaper for utility companies to develop storage than to supplement their power supply with costly energy from other markets, according to Canary.

"This bill would have saved people money," MeLena Hessel of Vote Solar told the outlet. "It would have immediately enabled us to deploy renewables and storage and energy efficiency too, which are the fastest, cheapest ways to address the rising capacity costs."

Adding solar energy systems with battery storage to a home or business can also be expensive up front, but advocates say that, in the long run, the switch can provide cost savings — up to $1,500 — on annual utility bills. Residents can also currently take advantage of federal tax benefits to fund a switch to solar-plus-battery systems, but these benefits may not be around forever, as President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to roll them back.

Recent federal cuts to related pro-environment and cost-savings programs may have some feeling the pressure to move clean energy forward at the state level. It's something many Illinois advocates and lawmakers may be considering as they think about a future for the CRGA Act.

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What's being done about the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act?

State legislators are not set to meet again until the fall, although Governor JB Pritzker could reconvene them sooner for a special session, during which any possible future for the CRGA Act could be discussed.

In the meantime, supporters are likely to plan for reviving the bill or some of its key components. One such provision is nicknamed "BYONCE." It's pronounced like the icon's name but stands for ​"Bring your own new clean energy." BYONCE would require high-energy-using data centers to "fund their own new generation capacity," per Canary, as a buffer against rising energy costs — fueled by increased demand — for the average customer.

Addressing what happened with the CRGA Act, Jack Darin, the director of the state's Sierra Club chapter, told Inside Climate News, "The end of the legislative session was a very difficult environment for a whole host of reasons ... With so many energy stakeholders involved, it was very difficult for many lawmakers to say yes to anything."

But Darin also said "there was clear communication from the legislative leaders that we will keep working on this." As lawmakers regroup, constituents might continue sharing their own thoughts about the clean energy bill with their elected officials.

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