Opinion: Metro-east clergy say climate bill makes good on Illinois’ big promises
With everyday costs skyrocketing throughout 2025, from groceries to health insurance to holiday gifts, I was happy to see Gov. Pritzker start 2026 off right by passing a major bill to help lower electricity bills in the Metro East and across Illinois.
After Ameren bills spiked as much as $200 per month in our community this year, I joined many other voices from across Illinois to call for lawmakers to ease the burden on people’s wallets. In response, Gov. Pritzker has signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act, which will lower Ameren bills by more than $20 per month by 2035.
My colleagues and I at United Congregations of Metro-East (UCM) were incredibly happy to see the General Assembly and Gov. Pritzker enact a solution that addresses the ongoing affordability crisis while also creating jobs in our community and protecting our environment. As an organization committed to social justice and climate action, UCM is incredibly proud to operate in a state that is building a strong, more equitable economy through clean energy.
CRGA is built upon the strong foundation laid by Illinois’ previous landmark climate and jobs bills, including 2017’s Future Energy and Jobs Act (FEJA) and 2021’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). FEJA kickstarted Illinois’ clean energy economy, and CEJA made sure its benefits were extended to communities often left out of the conversation.
CEJA has been incredibly valuable for the communities we, and other organizations like ours, serve. In fact, UCM was one of the many community advocacy organizations that gave underrepresented communities a seat at the table during negotiations over CEJA.
Our successful lobbying efforts led CEJA to institute nation-leading equity standards, ensuring jobs and clean energy projects benefit people from disadvantaged backgrounds – whether based on income level, prior incarceration, environmental issues in a community, racial disparities, or other factors that have historically excluded certain people from the clean energy economy.
We at UCM have witnessed firsthand the benefits of CEJA’s equity standards, as we are one of the state’s designated organizations responsible for helping people access CEJA’s workforce opportunities. Through our involvement with CEJA, we have helped numerous individuals put themselves on a path to a high-quality career in a fast-growing field.
The latest bill, CRGA, retains all of CEJA’s equity targets and will be critical in ensuring Illinois meets those marks, thanks to its continued support of programs that provide families access to clean energy and promote growth for small, diverse businesses across Illinois.
Equally important as the economic benefits, environmental preservation and remediation is a core tenet of Illinois’ energy policy. The Metro East region is second only to Chicagoland when it comes to the number of officially designated Environmental Justice Communities. Our area has long been disproportionately impacted by environmental racism; a 100% renewable energy grid will begin to roll back the horrific legacy of industrial pollution that plagues minority and low-income neighborhoods.
CRGA will make the goal of a carbon-free future a reality by investing in energy storage – a technology that absorbs excess solar and wind energy to use later, keeping our grid clean even when the sun is down or the wind isn’t blowing.
In addition to its environmental benefits, storage is proven to save money; for example, storage saved Texas residents $750 million since 2023, and CRGA is projected to save more than $12 billion over the next 20 years. CRGA’s storage program will also create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic development in our state – with an intentional focus on benefiting the communities that most need it.
It’s not often that new legislation offers a win for every party involved, but CRGA has accomplished this for organizations like UCM and the communities we serve. It will lower costs for our struggling neighbors, create opportunities for workers and aspiring clean energy entrepreneurs, shepherd in a new era of environmental justice, and deliver on the promises our state made with previous clean energy legislation.
I’m deeply thankful for everyone in Springfield who is ensuring 2026 continues our fight for a more affordable, green, prosperous, and equitable future.
Rev. Darnell Tingle is the pastor of First United Presbyterian Church in Granite City and Executive Director of the United Congregations of the Metro East.