Protect Your Local Electric Cooperative from Costly and Unnecessary Legislation

Illinois’ not-for-profit, member-owned electric co-ops provide reliable energy to communities at a price they can afford. However, proposed legislation now threatens a fundamental principle of how your co-op operates — by and for its members.

Currently, consumer-members have a say in the way their co-op is run. Co-op boards are comprised of community members who receive power from the co-op, and all consumer-members are encouraged to get involved in the decision-making process during elections and annual meetings.

Proposed legislation now threatens to eliminate local control of co-op operations and raise rates:

• High costs: An integrated resource plan could cost your cooperative between $250,000 and $500,000 or more—every few years. As a not-for-profit cooperative, we would have no choice but to pass these unnecessary expenses on to you, our consumer-members.
• Unnecessary regulations: Electric cooperatives already plan carefully to ensure reliable and affordable service. Our proactive approach has kept rates stable and predictable, unlike other utilities in Illinois that have experienced or will experience dramatic price hikes—such as the recent MISO capacity auction, where rates spiked from $30/MW-day last summer to $666/MW-day for summer 2025. Our planning shields you from these price swings.

Co-ops represent their communities, and work to develop policies that protect safe, affordable, and reliable power. This legislation would strip co-ops of their ability to make decisions on behalf of their members.

Fill out this simple form to tell your State Senator and State Representative to protect Illinois’ electric co-ops and their members by opposing this harmful legislation.