climate change, The environment, and pending legislation

What does it mean for you?

This is an issue we’re very concerned about and we’re following it closely. The House of Representatives recently passed a climate change bill (H.R. 2454) by a slim vote of 219-212. The Senate is working on their own version of a bill, and once that is done - maybe this fall - the two bodies will attempt to bring the two pieces of legislation together.

Quite simply, if this pending legislation gets passed in Congress, and signed by the President, it will amount to a tax on electric use.  Especially for power companies (like EIEC) that get most of their electricity from coal-fired power plants.  This tax will surely get passed right on through to the end-user customers – YOU.  Pretty much everything we use/eat/do requires electricity at some point in the manufacturing process, so this will affect all kinds of products and services.

We obviously care about our environment, and we are concerned about protecting it – sensibly, and without putting a burden on our members.  Congress must develop a simple, affordable, flexible, and effective solution!  A big tax on electricity in the middle of tough economic times doesn’t necessarily seem like the best way to achieve our goals, though.

To help make your voice heard, our national electric cooperative association has developed a campaign to easily communicate with our elected officials.  Visit the Our Energy Web site for more information, and to make your voice heard.

Also, we will post some information about the pending legislation here, in case you want to dig deeper into this topic.  For more information, please contact Eastern Illini at 1-800-824-5102 or email us.

Climate Change Legislation Calculator:

Climate Change Legislation Resources:

U.S. Congressman Tim Johnson's reaction to H.R. 2454 - pdf

Summay of the Waxman Climate Change Bill (H.R. 2454) - pdf

The Washington Post's climate change section

The Heritage Foundation, Energy & Environment section

CNN's climate change section

How much power can Renewable Energy resources actually provide?

Climate change deal in the works