Editorial: Rising utility rates in northern Illinois are no different from tax increases – Chicago Tribune*

"For years, the Illinois Commerce Commission has given the companies most of what they request in the way of rates. On the few occasions in the past where regulators dared to push back, utilities like Commonwealth Edison took their case to the General Assembly and ran roughshod over the ICC, winning their rate hikes via legislation. Now, the empire is preparing to strike back. But, since the companies themselves no longer enjoy the clout they once did, thanks mainly to ComEd bribing its way to success in Springfield, the unions representing workers benefiting from large-scale utility infrastructure work are doing the heavy lifting."