Effingham, IL-(Vandalia Radio)- A large crowd was on hand in Effingham on Thursday evening for the Energy Town Hall held by 5 State Representatives, including State Representative Blaine Wilhour. The discussion centered around the increased energy costs seen in central and southern Illinois this summer and the concern of potential brownouts at peak times. Representative Wilhour says the policies passed in the state have helped lead to this.
Discussed during the meeting was the Clean Energy Jobs act which calls for 100% clean energy by 2050 and1 million electric vehicles by 2030 and the closure of coal fired power plants by 2030. Wilhour says that solar and wind are not going to be able to fill the gaps.
Most of the energy experts heard from at this Town Hall said that green energy is the future, but the transition needs to be seamless and prioritize consumer quality of life, and there should be no drop off in quality of the service they receive. Most of the experts that spoke said that Illinois’ energy policies are forcing them to close plants and businesses in Illinois to take them to other states, which is putting even more pressure on the energy grid. With less energy supply coming in, energy companies are forced to buy electricity from other states, which only increases the cost on the consumer.
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