CHICAGO, May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nicor Gas' bid for a record-breaking $308.6 million rate hike is rife with excesses and should be slashed by more than half, according to testimony submitted to state regulators by the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), Illinois PIRG, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and other consumer advocates.CUB warned the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) that more than $111 million in the rate hike proposal – including a lavish profit rate for Nicor shareholders and wasteful spending on executive bonuses – doesn't pass legal muster and should be rejected. When the Illinois Attorney General's recommendations are taken into consideration, the requested cuts surge to nearly $153 million, according to testimony filed by the state's chief legal officer. And that total still doesn't account for all of the reductions identified by other parties in the case.Nicor's proposal would represent the largest rate hike for a gas utility in Illinois history."This testimony exposes Nicor's bald-faced attempt to capture exorbitant shareholder profits–an all-too-familiar theme for the utility's customers who have already suffered from exorbitant rate hikes in recent years," said CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz, who urged Nicor customers to sign a petition against the rate hike at CUBActionCenter.com. "We urge the ICC to stand up for Nicor customers and slash the utility's request for a record rate hike."This is Nicor's fifth rate-hike request since 2017. Between 2017 and 2024, the utility has raised delivery rates by 114 percent, totaling $747 million, and its parent, Southern Co., has raked in $25.2 billion in profits."It's time for Nicor to move beyond business-as-usual practices that have already more than doubled its rates in under a decade," said Illinois PIRG Director Abe Scarr. "By considering alternatives to new fossil fuel infrastructure, Nicor can maintain system integrity while reducing rate increases and facilitating the transition to safer, cleaner energy.""In 2023, the Commission warned Nicor it would need to plan for a gas system that meets Illinois decarbonization goals

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) will recieve the 2025 Rose-Walters Prize during Commencement on May 18.

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