SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) voted against legislation that he says guarantees higher prices for electricity customers in Illinois during the final week of the fall 2025 Veto Session. SB 25 creates subsidies for energy battery storage companies that may choose to locate in Illinois, and threatens future increases in electricity costs.
“This past summer, southern Illinoisans in particular suffered from huge spikes in their electric bills, mainly due to failed energy policies passed in previous General Assemblies,” Windhorst said. “I have heard from many families and businesses, large and small, that have seen double and triple higher bills from last year. This is largely due to the policies that have been endorsed by the supermajority and the Governor that have stifled energy production and capacity.”
SB 25 is a technical and complicated bill. At its core, ratepayers will subsidize battery storage projects through rate increases in an estimated amount of $7 billion. Even with the projects, Windhorst says that battery storage will not be enough to overcome the drastic drop in energy supply that has happened as a result of irresponsible energy policies that have shut down coal-fired power plants and other peaker power plants that have the capacity to handle electricity demand during extreme heat and cold.
“”I am for an all-of-the-above approach to our energy mix that can meet demand, is reliable, and won’t place additional costs on our families and businesses,” Windhorst said. “I am not for cutting off reliable energy in favor of untested and unaffordable means of energy production. I voted NO.”