Victory! Governor vetoes bad water bill
Sewer Manhole Cover by Hern Iron Works
We did it!
More than 1,800 CUB Action Network members sent letters this year asking the General Assembly to oppose Senate Bill 1421— legislation that could have forced Illinois water customers to pay for services they never receive!
The legislation passed, but CUB didn’t give up. Bryan McDaniel, CUB director of governmental affairs, joined other opponents in writing letters asking the governor to oppose the measure. And we were happy to hear today that our hard work paid off: Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the bill!
The proposal would have allowed the state’s two largest water companies, Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois, to petition state regulators to increase rates for all customers in order to repair sewer systems in other cities. Customers who receive sewer services from their local government would have, in effect, been paying for sewage services twice!
We didn’t think that was fair— and neither did the governor.