Moylan Slams ComEd Rate Hike

DES PLAINES, Ill. – State Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, expressed outrage Thursday over the recent move by Governor Bruce Rauner’s Illinois Commerce Commission to approve a five percent rate increase on ComEd costumers. The decision comes shortly after the governor took the lead in negotiating a bailout for ComEd’s parent company Exelon to keep two financially struggling downstate nuclear power plants open.

“We’re already going to see our utility rates increase because of the governor’s two billion dollar taxpayer-funded bailout of Exelon, and now we’re going to see rates skyrocket even higher,” Moylan said. “The governor needs to focus on helping the working class rather than spending his time bailing out an already profitable company that will lead to the largest rate hike in United States history.”

On Tuesday, the governor-controlled Illinois Commerce Commission voted to increase rates on ComEd costumers in an effort to generate $127.5 million in revenue for the utility company. The increase will help ComEd pay for their efforts to modernize their electrical grid as part of the 2011 Smart Grid law. This rate hike came on the same day that Rauner approved a $2 billion taxpayer-funded bailout of ComEd’s parent company Exelon. The recently passed bailout bill commits ratepayers to a $2.35 billion subsidy of two nuclear power plants owned by Exelon. Moylan voted against that bill arguing it was a corporate bailout.

“The hard working families of my district shouldn’t be nickeled and dimed by large corporations,” Moylan said. “I am disappointed not only that the governor took the lead in negotiating a bailout for a profitable company, but also let down by the recent vote that his commerce commission made to saddle ratepayers with even higher utility bills.”

For more information, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent service office at 847-635-6821 or staterepmoylan@gmail.com.
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