Dive Summary:
- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has removed surcharge provisions from the city's bulk electricity purchasing agreement.
- Emanuel planned to use savings from municipal aggregation to fund clean-energy projects.
- After voters endorsed the aggregation measure on Election Day, the mayor has fast-tracked the approval process in an attempt to save as much money as possible for the city's residents.
From the article:
"... The largest savings from a bulk-purchasing contract will come before June 1, when contracts that obligate ComEd to purchase electricity at above-market rates expire.
'It's guaranteed that there will be savings' until June, said David Kolata, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board watchdog group. 'After that, it's less clear.'
Kolata, however, defended the general idea of spending part of the bulk-purchase savings on projects that reduce energy use, saying less usage might keep prices lower for a longer period of time. ..."