By Kacie Whaley

Following the dismissal of lawsuits brought against the State of Illinois by power generators and electricity consumers who claimed the Future Energy Jobs Act deceptively supplies markets in favor of energy company Exelon, Steve Cicala, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, says the state’s policy is short-sighted and will be problematic for taxpayers.

On July 14, U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah dismissed the lawsuits, which had sought to invalidate parts of the Future Energy Jobs Act.

The legislation, which was signed into a law in December, updated the state’s energy efficiency programs and focused on using renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. It also allows the Illinois Power Agency to obtain zero emissions credits (ZEC) for two Exelon nuclear plants for the next 10 years.

Cicala, who specializes in environmental and energy policy, told the Cook County Record that the new legislation is a “short-sighted policy” that will “have the effect of subsidizing generation by causing lower electricity prices at the cost of the taxpayer…”

Continue reading at the Cook County Record…

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Areas of Focus: Energy Markets
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Energy Efficiency
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