Springfield, IL (WAND) – A Southern Illinois Republican lawmaker says something must be done to address rising energy costs.

Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) filed legislation last week to create an Illinois regional generation reliability task force.

Most of our viewers are dealing with skyrocketing Ameren bills, but Springfield residents are also seeing the spike. WAND TV’s Mike Miletich saw his CWLP bill for August increase nearly 60% from last month.

Severin said lawmakers need to step up as soon as possible.

“We need to have a special session to discuss this and not just talk about it,” Severin said. “We need to find some answers because we know the heat is coming every year. June, July, August, September and even early October—we know that heat is going to be here in Southern Illinois and statewide.”

Severin said the task force could listen to consumer concerns while addressing issues related to the performance and reliability of power generation and transmission. The proposed task force would also assess the impact of policies and evaluate their costs and benefits on families, employers, the public, Illinois and other states on the grid.

“Part of this bill is to not only be reactive, but proactive so we can come up with answers that will address the concerns we have right now and the future concerns as we see them coming,” Severin said.

The Republican filed a separate plan to repeal nearly all of the clean energy laws Gov. JB Pritzker has signed since taking office. He argues Illinois will never be able to meet the demand for energy without bringing coal and natural gas plants back online.

“We’ve got to do something. These coal-powered plants that have been closed, you don’t just turn them back on,” Severin said. “You don’t call them and say, ‘Hey, flick the switch.’ It takes time, and permitting, and all different kinds of things.”

The Illinois Environmental Council told WAND News that data centers are sapping up more and more power as President Donald Trump rolls back clean energy tax incentives that were saving families hundreds of dollars. They note that grid operators MISO and PJM continue to lag in connecting cost-effective clean energy to the grid.

“The last thing we need is to roll back state-level climate and consumer protections,” IEC leaders stated. “In fact, what we need is to accelerate Illinois’ climate progress by passing the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act this fall.”

The organization said this proposal could protect consumers from utility bill spikes through investments in energy efficiency, battery storage and solar. They stressed that the CRGA Act includes proven solutions needed to safeguard the state’s climate commitments and protect consumers.

Lawmakers are not scheduled to return to Springfield until October.