03.04.21

Durbin Meets with Illinois Members of American Public Power Association

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with Illinois members of American Public Power Association (APPA), which represents publicly owned municipal electrical systems, to discuss clean energy and how the energy crisis in Texas affected natural gas bills in many towns in southern Illinois who rely on pipelines from Texas.

“The recent energy crisis in Texas highlighted the importance of making investments in clean energy in order to create a smarter and cleaner energy economy. We should incentivize companies to take on clean energy projects that diversify Illinois’ energy footprint. I will continue to support Illinoisans facing extraordinarily high natural gas bills in the aftermath of the Texas crisis so no family goes without power,” Durbin said.

Yesterday, Durbin and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to include safeguards in the upcoming COVID-19 relief package to protect the American people from losing access to critical utilities—including power, heat, water and internet services—during the pandemic.

Last month, Durbin and Duckworth sent a letter to Susan Rice, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, requesting the Administration work with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other relevant agencies to take any necessary actions to provide support for communities and public institutions that rely on natural gas for heat during February’s record-breaking cold weather.  The Senators also requested that the Administration consider providing supplemental funding to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)—a critical lifeline for low-income households, seniors, and veterans, to help with their energy bills.

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