Illinois Can’t Afford Pritzker’s Energy Experiment

Written by David E. Smith

Illinoisans are about to feel another hit to their wallets—this time in the name of “clean” energy.

Gov. JB Pritzker and his Democratic supermajorities have pursued the unrealistic goal of 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045 with little regard for cost or reliability. What lawmakers failed to disclose when they passed Illinois’ original clean-energy law is now painfully hitting home with no relief in sight. These foolish policies will cost taxpayers billions.

The recently signed Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) exposes the hidden price of renewable mandates. Illinoisans will soon see a new, separate line item on their electric bills—fees to pay for massive battery storage systems needed to backstop wind and solar power.

The total cost is expected to reach at least $7 billion statewide.

Why are batteries suddenly necessary? Because wind and solar are intermittent. When the wind dies and the sun sets, the grid still needs electricity. Instead of maintaining reliable, traditional power sources, lawmakers chose to force families to pay more to compensate for renewable unreliability—through higher capacity charges and now battery assessments.

Supporters claim CRGA will lower electricity bills. The opposite is true. Illinoisans are being charged more to fix problems created by government energy mandates in the first place.

State Representative Chris Miller (R-Charleston), chairman of the Illinois Freedom Caucus has been trying to alert us to the bill’s consequences, saying:

The title of this bill is a lie. So-called “clean and reliable” energy policies have done the opposite—destroying affordable, dependable power in Illinois. A handful of radical Democrats, aided by misguided Republicans, replaced proven energy sources with mandates that drive up costs and weaken the grid. Now we’re told the same policymakers who caused the problem will fix it. Asking the arsonist to put out the fire never works.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski warned as early as 2021 that Illinois’ emissions targets were unachievable and would lead to higher electricity prices and shortages. His campaign produced the chart below to illustrate the consequences. Today, Illinois ranks fifth highest in the nation for electricity costs, and the top ten states on this list are all deep-blue states.

Gov. Pritzker signed the 800-page omnibus on January 8, 2026 anyway.

Now even state agencies admit the problem. The 2025 Resource Adequacy Study from the Illinois Power Agency, Commerce Commission, and Environmental Protection Agency concludes that northern Illinois faces electricity shortages by 2029 and southern Illinois by 2031. The fantasy of 100 percent carbon-free electricity is already colliding with reality.

Meanwhile, families are paying more today. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, electricity prices in Illinois have increased 45 percent since Gov. Pritzker took office—the fifth-largest increase in the nation.

Lawmakers know voters will be angry. That’s why CRGA hands authority over new battery fees to the Illinois Commerce Commission—unelected bureaucrats shielded from accountability. Worse, says Dabrowski, “the new law removes all caps on rate increases.” Even the modest protections in the original clean-energy law are now gone.

Low-cost, reliable energy is not a luxury. It is essential for families, seniors, and small businesses struggling to survive in an already expensive state. Energy policy should be guided by affordability and reliability—not contrived climate mandates divorced from reality.

Illinoisans must speak up—now. Call your state legislator and demand an end to unchecked green-energy mandates, restored rate protections, and a return to a balanced energy policy that includes reliable nuclear and fossil fuel sources. If state lawmakers won’t protect their constituents from runaway electricity costs, voters should hold them accountable at the ballot box.

The way to lower energy costs is not through bait-and-switch programs, but by correcting the reckless policies that created this crisis. Illinois residents are now paying more to import electricity from other states because lawmakers rushed to shut down coal and natural gas plants without viable replacements.

Illinois families should not be forced to bankroll energy fantasies they cannot afford.