The Illinois Commerce Commission is deciding the future of natural gas in the state of Illinois, and they want the public’s opinion.
The goal of the proceedings is to create an action plan for future gas utilities investment.
Scott Allen of the Citizens Utility Board said anyone can provide input.
“We need to hear from communities and individuals what they want to see as we transition away from gas,” he said.
Allen and Sam Beard of the Sierra Club Illinois Chapter will host a program Oct. 15 at the George Washington Carver Center. They’ll talk about the “Future of Gas Proceedings,” as well as some of the benefits of switching to electric appliances.
Allen said one of the biggest downsides of gas utilities is health impacts.
“It's more true for smaller apartment buildings or older buildings,” he said. “When you're combusting gas indoors, that health impact is much worse than we imagined.”
He said recent studies have shown gas utilities have contributed to childhood asthma rates. There are some gas efficiency programs which try to cut down emissions, but Allen said there are still negative health impacts.
Cost is another reason Allen says people should switch to electric.
“Gas is expensive. It's kind of a volatile commodity,” he said. “We've seen gas rates since the winter storm in Texas, and then following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, that our gas prices made this huge jump, and they haven't really come back down to what they were before that.”
Allen said there are some grants available through the government to help people pay for the transition to electric appliances.
“That is specifically set aside for people who can least afford it to start making those so there will be appliance rebates, but there will also be money for electric service panel upgrades to help with some of these finances,” he said.
Some Illinois unions have pushed back on a switch from natural gas, saying it could lead to union members losing their jobs.
