Press Release - Tuesday, September 19, 2006
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Quinn Calls for Consumer Teabag Protest Against Ameren Money Grab
(ST. LOUIS) - Today Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn urged Illinois consumers to send teabags along with their electric bill payments to show their outrage over Ameren's unfair 40% rate hike.
"Back in 1773, the men and women who started this country dumped tea in Boston Harbor to let King George III know what they thought about his arrogant unfairness," Quinn said at news conference outside Ameren Corp. headquarters in St. Louis. "Today, I'm encouraging Ameren customers to follow that historic example of citizen action and mail tea bags with their electric bill payments to protest Ameren's arrogant unfairness."
Quinn also urged the General Assembly to pass a three-year extension of Illinois' electric rate freeze during the November veto session. "During the nine-year rate freeze, Ameren's profits have doubled," Quinn said. "This company is already making record profits. Now they want to make obscene profits."
On Friday, Sept. 15, the Illinois Commerce Commission announced the results of a so-called reverse auction of electric power providers. The new power prices are expected to result in painful 40% rate increases for nearly 400,000 AmerenCIPS customers in 576 communities, including Quincy, East St. Louis, Mattoon and Marion.
"There is no real competition in this auction process," Quinn said. "When AmerenCIPS' parent company - Ameren Corp. - is the leading owner of generating plants in central and southern Illinois, it defies common sense to claim this power procurement system is competitive and on the square," Quinn said.
"More and more of Illinois families' household budget is going toward buying energy, " Quinn said. "Illinois consumers are already hard-pressed from the record high gasoline prices this summer and the soaring natural gas costs last winter. Now AmerenCIPS customers are bracing for an average increase of $269 a year. It's time for consumers to take a stand against the unfair rate hikes of Ameren and other utility giants."
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