Chicago, Cook County walk-ups get help to go green
Lou Sopcic has invested in energy efficient lights, insulation and new boilers in Chicago apartment buildings he owns where he pays the utility bills. But he acknowledges that springing for...
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Your money, ComEd’s donation: Customers pay tab for contributions
Commonwealth Edison spent $27,000 in ratepayer money in 2013 for a golf outing hosted by members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, which was raising money for the legislative body's...
As the world warms, where is the best snow to make Frosty?
It seemed like an easy question: Has climate change made it harder to find snow for making snowmen? As I grew up in Connecticut, every time it snowed, it seemed,...
Coalition urges Illinois to boost energy goals
If Illinois wants to meet President Barack Obama's mandate to curb carbon dioxide pollution by 30 percent by 2030, it should invest heavily in energy efficiency and renewable energy. That...
Landowners to get pitch for wind-power superhighway
No, the Grain Belt Express isn't a monorail pitched by a con man like in "The Simpsons"; it's a transmission line designed to carry wind-generated electricity. Beginning next week, Clean...
Former opponent touts nuclear power at Chicago event
Not too long ago Carol Browner would have sided with the activists clad in white hazmat suits protesting nuclear power outside the City Club's lunch Tuesday in downtown Chicago. Instead,...
Car accident could raise insurance premium by 35 percent in Illinois
A car accident can happen in seconds, but you can expect to endure up to five years of higher auto insurance premiums after filing your claim. According to a study...
Illinois misses the fracking boom because of falling oil prices
Lyle Weber paid off a sizable chunk of his son's college loan three years ago with money he got from an oil company intending to drill on his farmland. "You...
Audit of Peoples Gas pipe replacement program hidden from public
An audit of a multibillion-dollar program to replace natural gas pipes in Chicago is being withheld from public scrutiny, raising the ire of consumer advocates and the Illinois attorney general's...
Peoples Gas bills to rise by as much as $2.75 a month
Under its new chairman Brien Sheahan, the Illinois Commerce Commission voted Wednesday 3-1 to raise Peoples Gas bills despite pleas from residents not to increase rates. Peoples Gas customers will...