Peoria Standard

State Representative Ryan Spain spoke on the House floor to express his opposition to SB 25, a new energy bill backed by Democrats. Spain argued that previous green energy legislation has led to increased electricity rates and problems with grid reliability.

“First, Democrats gave us the Future Energy Jobs Act, then they gave us the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. All the while, they promised their green energy initiatives would ensure reliability and bring down costs.

“Instead, they’ve crippled our energy supply and caused costs to skyrocket for ratepayers. Illinois used to be a net-exporter of energy, but now, not only are we a net-importer of energy, we are having to import energy generated by coal and gas from other states to meet the needs in our state. All because Democrats refuse to accept the reality that we need an all of the above approach to ensure we have an adequate energy supply to keep rates affordable and ensure reliability.

“Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Illinoisans cannot afford an $8 billion price tag for more green energy fantasies!” Spain said.

Spain is a Republican who was elected in 2017 to represent Illinois' 73rd House District after succeeding David R. Leitch.