On February 3, the eight candidates vying for four positions on the Naperville City Council attended a forum co-hosted by Say No to Coal members NEST and First Congregational Church.
The first question of the night for the candidates was whether to agree to an early extension of the IMEA contract. To watch each candidate reply to this important question, click here.
We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of you who joined us at the Naperville City Council meeting last night. Your presence and efforts were instrumental in helping us work towards our shared goal to transition Naperville away from coal dependency and toward clean, renewable energy. The speakers who addressed the Council made a powerful case for why Naperville must prioritize clean energy, highlighting not only the urgency of this transition but also the feasibility and benefits of adopting sustainable energy solutions.
We appreciate that the City Council expressed a need for more facts and careful consideration before making decisions. In that spirit, we would like to address comments made by Brian Groth, Naperville’s electricity director, near the end of the meeting. For those who may not know, Brian Groth serves not only as Naperville’s electricity director but is also the vice-chairman of IMEA’s Board of Directors.
Director Groth questioned the energy mix of Illinois and Naperville. Our interconnected energy grids in Illinois mean that suppliers, including IMEA, fill up our pool of available energy, and then customers, like Naperville or ComEd, draw from that pool. 80% of what IMEA adds to the pool is coal, and that’s where Naperville’s money goes. Overall, only 15% of the supply in that pool is from coal generation.
Naperville’s electricity reliability is ensured by PJM, the regional transmission organization responsible for coordinating electricity from thousands of sources, including IMEA. Importantly, the electric lines serving Naperville residents and businesses are managed by the City of Naperville, not IMEA. Even when IMEA plants undergo maintenance, PJM and the City of Naperville ensure electricity continuity.
IMEA’s coal-based electricity is more expensive than many renewable options, and the new contract says nothing about cost! To ensure Naperville gets the best deal, competitive bids from all providers are necessary.
Some City Council members raised concerns that renewable energy pricing is too reliant on subsidies. However, it’s important to note that fossil fuels, including coal, also benefit significantly from subsidies. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), global fossil fuel subsidies surged to a record $7 trillion in 2023. Subsidies for coal directly impact its cost competitiveness, making the argument against renewable subsidies both inconsistent and misleading.
We think we won the first round, and we are thrilled that the city council didn’t fall for IMEA’s “fake leverage,” as Councilman Holzhauer stated last night. That said, the fight is far from over and won’t end until Naperville signs a new electricity contract that prioritizes clean, safe, renewable energy. We encourage you to stay engaged by continuing to follow updates on saynotocoal.com visiting the NEST website, following us onFacebook and Instagram, and sharing information with your networks. We also encourage you to either share your “Say No to Coal” sign from last night or put it in your front window. Together, we can keep up the pressure and ensure a sustainable future for our community.
Thank you again for your energy, passion, and commitment. Let’s keep the momentum going as we continue this critical work.
Tonight’s Naperville City Council meeting begins at 7:00pm at the Naperville Municipal Center. If you plan to join Say No to Coal at the meeting, please arrive by 6:30pm and wear red! Our team will have Say No to Coal signs to take with you and share with others.
City Council meetings typically last between 60-90 minutes. While attendees are not required to stay for the whole meeting, we encourage staying for the duration of the meeting to demonstrate our commitment to this issue.
On Tuesday, January 21, Say No to Coal will be present at the Naperville City Council meeting held at the Naperville Municipal Center. The meeting will begin at 7:00pm.
All are welcome to attend and we encourage everyone wear red!
If you would like to let us know you’re coming and join our mailing list, click here.
A pile of coal sits on the Prairie State Energy Campus near Marissa, Illinois, on Aug. 7, 2013. The plant produces energy for the Municipal Electric Agency, which provides electricity for Naperville. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
As Naperville weighs the future of its electric supply, a group of environmental and civic organizations are teaming up to tell city leaders to “Say No To Coal” — and they’re urging community members to back the sentiment.
The Say No To Coal consortium wants to pack seats at the Naperville City Council meeting Tuesday night to raise awareness that a big decision looms over the city: whether now’s the time for a contract extension with its current electricity provider, the coal-heavy Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA).
Consortium members and supporters will be speaking at the meeting to voice their concerns with the potential extension, organizers say. As part of the effort, organizers have invited the broader Naperville community — residents, organizations and businesses included — to attend in solidarity.
To read the rest of the article, click here. SOURCE: Chicago Tribune
