Much Ado About Electricity Rates

By Alicia Dorr in News on Oct 2, 2006 6:03PM

The horrific stink of consumer fear over outrageous electricity bills this winter must have finally reached Springfield. Today speaker Michael Madigan called for a special legislative session to deal with the issue before the regularly scheduled fall veto session and, it seems, before November elections.

As you have most likely learned by now, the freeze on electricity rates that kept bills low from 1997 on is scheduled to expire on January 1, and the greedy little claws of energy providers showed they were all about raising rates as much as 55 percent at a power auction last month.

Madigan sent a letter to Blagojevich calling for the special session to possibly freeze rates again. The basic idea is to protect prices from constant (but nevertheless volatile) upswings. Oh, yeah, and to make sure we don't all march around the dark countryside in a terrible mob with rocks and torches, burning expensive houses as we go. Never underestimate the plebes. Or do, we guess, because we really aren't doing much except waiting out the rise in gas prices. Anyway, here's hoping rates are regulated again.