SPRINGFIELD – Prioritizing the economic needs of his constituents, State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) chose to vote “present” on the energy package that passed the General Assembly Monday, Senate Bill 2408. He released the following statement:

“Climate change is happening live. We are running out of time and need to make big changes by the next decade. I was chief co-sponsor of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, much of which is included in the bill passed today.

“However, SB 2408 implements a rate hike on lower-income folks and local businesses that are trying to weather an unrelenting pandemic. Low-income people in my district are already paying a disproportionate amount of their income on utilities. Many residents are falling behind on rent and are behind on their electric bills. I also have concerns with giving more money to Exelon right now when the public’s trust has been abused systemically in recent years by Commonwealth Edison. Therefore, I voted present on what otherwise is a solid step forward for our environment.

“I am happy that our state is now on a path to eventually becoming free of climate-damaging fossil fuels. I look forward to continuing to work with senators and environmental, labor, and consumer groups to accelerate the timeline to get us free of fossil fuels much sooner than 2050, because the science is very clear that we are nearly out of time.”

Click here to watch a video of Senator Simmons' full statement.