Lake County Gazette

Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Lake Barrington) recently posted a plea to address the state gas tax.

"Clean Green Energy is a laudable goal. But it should NOT put the standards of living of working families in jeopardy. People DID NOT VOTE for Democrat policy makers to clean all the green out of the bank accounts of middle class families," McLaughlin wrote on Facebook. "We need to change the policies that have driven gas and energy prices to sky high levels. Open our pipelines and domestic oil production. We have the resources -- let's use them now!"

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported motorists are paying 14% in taxes at the pump.

Several Illinois Republicans wrote legislation toward capping the states’ gas tax, specifically House Bill 5723.

“Consumers need relief right now, and this common-sense legislation provides tangible relief without negatively affecting the state’s anticipated revenues for the coming year,” Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) said on his website. “If we do nothing, motorists will continue paying outrageous prices at the pump, and come July when the state sales tax is recalculated, taxes will soar to unbelievable levels. This money should remain with taxpayers who are already struggling to keep pace with record-level inflation.”

“People are tired and worn down from government overreach which continues to create chaos and uncertainty across our state,” Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) said on his website. “If the last two years haven’t been hard enough with COVID-19 mandates, now residents are having to foot the bill for our government’s failures. It is time we put a stop to this madness and lower our state’s taxes to provide the meaningful relief that all hard-working Illinoisans deserve.”

AAA noted that the average price of a regular gallon of gas in Illinois is $4.506, as of March 21 — up from $3.088 one year ago. The national average cost is $4.252.

Energy Insider reported ComEd enacted a rate increase, for the first time in four years, that took effect in January. Joe Dominguez, ComEd CEO, said the $51 million increase was a “thoughtful investment” necessary to sustain Illinois’ push for clean energy.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act into law in September. The legislation requires the Prairie State Energy Campus (PSEC) coal plant to shut down by 2045 and the state will invest $580 million per year in green energy.

PSEC powers the homes of 2.5 million families every day, according to its website. The facility produces 1,600 megawatts of electricity.