Ray Hanania
System is rigged against regular folks
.
By Ray Hanania
Consumers are reeling over massive increases in Nicor Gas costs, and they can’t get answers because the system is rigged against them.
Nicor Gas is owned by a massive conglomerate called Southern Gas, which has four gas subsidiaries serving 4.2 million customers. Nicor is the largest serving 2.2 million consumers in the northern third of the state, excluding Chicago.
Nicor is regulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), which is funded through a portion of the taxes on Nicor’s bills to consumers.
Executives at both Southern Gas and Nicor Gas get huge salaries and benefits in the millions, while consumers are left struggling to pay their bills. Nicor costs have more than doubled in the past few years with the biggest hikes coming this winter.
Nicor relies on the ICC to get what it wants. ICC officers get generous salaries. The ICC chairman makes about $139,572 a year. Commissioners are paid $121,889.
The legislature, whose members get donations from the wealthy “individuals” at Southern Gas and Nicor Gas, control it all.
Nicor Gas cost increases are the most dramatic consumers have seen in monthly bills. A typical suburban home in northern Illinois for January paid $118 in 2018; $127 in 2019; $104 in 2020; $112 in 2021; $181 in 2022; and $229 in 2023.
That’s because ICC has granted massive hike requests made by Nicor Gas, which has asked for $208 million in 2017, $230 million in 2018, and $293 million in 2021. In 2021, ICC approved a $240 million cost hike.
During that same period, the cost of Nicor Gas more than doubled, shocking consumers but doing little to shock Illinois officials.
The agency tasked with protecting consumer rights is the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) which is funded by “donations.” But CUB operates in poverty, funded by “donations.” Vastly underfunded compared to the giant it monitors.
How can CUB fight Southern Gas, Nicor Gas or the taxpayer-funded ICC?
The biggest problem is there is absolutely no transparency in how Nicor Gas and Southern Gas operate. Executive salaries, which are estimated in the tens of millions, are hidden from public view. How much does Nicor CEO Wendell Dallas get? Good luck searching for that.
Not even CUB can easily find those numbers. I asked.
The state should require that they be published by the companies and easily found!
In 2021, Southern’s president received more than $19 million. The other four CEOs earned more than $4.5 million each in salaries.
What we do know about salaries at Nicor Gas is a previous CEO, Russ Strobel, walked away with more than $23.8 million when he left in 2010, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Their salaries will rise while yours will continue to fall in value because of lack of wage hikes and the steady rise of inflation.
The system is rigged against consumers.
Wealthy employees at Southern Gas and its Nicor subsidiary donate huge amounts to our elected officials. Who do you think legislators listen to? You and CUB? Or the people pumping money into their campaign coffers?
What is Gov. JB Pritzker, whose billions make him insensitive to rising consumer costs or the cold temperatures, doing about it? Nothing. Why should he? He can set the temperature in his mansions to 80 degrees if he wants while most Nicor Gas customers are told to lower their heating settings to reduce costs. Landlords need only set their thermostats to 68 during the day and 66 at night.
No one is listening to the shivers and rattling teeth of consumers as they write their monthly payment checks to Nicor. Especially abandoned are the seniors who need the most attention and support.
The system in Illinois must change and focus on the consumers who are paying the money that Southern Gas, Nicor and the ICC use to pad their 401ks and retirement funds.
There must be more transparency. Information on salaries should be easy, not difficult, to find. Utility companies like Nicor should be forced to publish them every year on their websites.
CUB needs to be funded by the state and strengthened. In fact, make Nicor pay their costs and boost up their salaries.
Nicor Gas billing increases from this past fall and winter need to be rolled back.
The legislature needs to hold public hearings to pull the veil off of this massive secret process that is torturing everyday consumers struggling to cope with rising costs coming from every direction.
Check out Ray Hanania’s columns and political podcasts at hanania.com.
7 Comments
Local News
County vets offer reduced-price vax clinics
Spread the love. From staff reports The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control is running its annual Partners in Prevention clinics now through mid-October. ARC is partnering with local animal organizations to offer reduced-cost or free one-year rabies vaccinations, as well as microchips. The partnerships are designed to link pet owners to organizations…
Twisted Shamrock hosts Masters-inspired fun
Spread the love. The drive from Chicago to Augusta, Ga. (home of the 2024 Masters professional golf tournament) is more than 800 miles, but those unwilling to make the trek recently had the option of simply heading over to Twisted Shamrock Pub, 6462 S. Central, for some Masters-inspired fun on Sunday, April 14. Both golfers…
St. Laurence grad Brett Buzzelli hurling for Carroll
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent Carroll University senior right-hander Brett Buzzelli has been named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s Pitcher of the Week for April 8. Buzzelli was the winning pitcher in an 8-3 victory over visiting Elmhurst University in Game 1 of a CCIW doubleheader. The St. Laurence graduate tossed seven…
Fire II wins, draws
Spread the loveBy Jef Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire FC II earned its first regulation victory of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season in a 2-0 clean sheet against Crown Legacy April 10 at SeatGeek Stadium. Defender Diego Konincks and captain David Poreba scored goals for the Fire. On April 14, the team had a…
Red Stars sans Swanson fall to Angel City
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Playing without scoring star Mallory Swanson, who was nursing a hip injury, the Chicago Red Stars lost for the first time this season, dropping a 1-0 decision April 13 to Angel City in front of an announced crowd of 3,168 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Angel City (1-2-1) started…
Hunt man who tried to rob Chase Bank
Spread the love. FBI looking for tips from public . From staff reports FBI officials are appealing to the public for help in finding a man who attempted to rob a Southwest Side bank branch. The bandit tried to rob the Chase Bank branch at 5687 S. Archer (just west of Laramie) at about 11…
Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC to play at Wrigley Field
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Chicago Red Stars forward Ally Schlegel loves Wrigley Field. “I adored Wrigley the second I went to my first Cubs game,” Schlegel said. “I fell in love with it thinking it was the perfect sporting experience with how they built it up down there.” She will go from a…
Trinity Christian College names new hoops coaches
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Trinity Christian officials were busy on April 11 ushering in new eras for its basketball programs. Trolls Athletic Director Wendy Reid announced that Jordan Mast is taking over the men’s basketball program, while Jasmine Porter has been named women’s hoops coach. Mast comes to the school in Palos Heights…
Reavis baseball coach and Hall of Famer Don Erickson to retire after season
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A deal is a deal. Longtime Reavis baseball coach Don Erickson has said he would retire after his son, Sam, graduates from high school, so he can watch Sam play in college. Erickson doesn’t get to many of his son’s high school games because Sam plays at Downers Grove…
Worth Library offers seeds for free
Spread the loveBy Kelly White A seed library collects and stores seeds and shares them with members of the community for free. Similar to a normal library, gardeners borrow seeds from the seed library at planting time. At the end of the growing seasons, they save seeds from the plants and return a portion of…
Neighbors
A simple idea for Earth Day
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Moving right along through April, as the days get longer and nicer, time will start to go by faster. We have Earth Day on April 22 and the start of Passover at sunset.…
Bingo at St. Clare was something to yell about
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . Recently I mentioned a bingo fundraiser the Augustinian Young Adults of St. Rita of Cascia Parish were holding. This was their first attempt at a bingo and they put on a really nice event. Held…
One thing is certain: life goes on
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . I get a lot of calls from residents who are discouraged about our neighborhood. There are so many car accidents, shootings and violent crimes being committed in West Lawn and surrounding areas. It certainly is challenging to stay hopeful and positive. Here is a paragraph…
Biz groups battle over names, logos
Spread the love. UBAM, MCC trade barbs . By Dermot Connolly and Tim Hadac The leader of one Midway-area business association is accusing the other of bad faith, and the leader of the other is scratching her head over the dustup. United Business Association of Midway Executive Director Anita Cummings recently claimed that a rival…
Chicago Lawn native’s book is ‘off the hook’
Spread the love. Longtime journalist shares humor columns . By Tim Hadac Nancy (Emerson) Besonen has made a career as a news reporter and humor columnist for a weekly paper in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. But her roots are in Chicago Lawn, and it showed during a recent conversation. Like most true Southwest Siders, she didn’t…
Softball | Oak Lawn’s Kasey Jackson fans 5 in loss to Shepard
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Oak Lawn entered its South Suburban Conference matchup with Shepard having won six of its last seven games. The Astros — even hotter with seven straight victories after beginning the season with three consecutive losses — cooled off the Spartans (8-5, 4-2 SSC) for a day, winning 3-0 behind…
Softball | Shepard blanks Oak Lawn behind CG from Kailey Selvage, 2 RBI from Madison Scapardine
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Temperatures are not the only thing starting to warm up in the Southwest Suburbs. Shepard, which began the season with three consecutive losses, defeated Oak Lawn, 3-0, on April 15 to run its winning streak to seven games. Astros junior pitcher Kailey Selvage tossed a complete-game shutout, striking out…
‘Horrific and unacceptable’
Spread the love. Police, neighbors decry shooting at family party . By Tim Hadac Drive-by shootings have become not at all unusual in recent years in Back of the Yards. Some might even call them common. What is still uncommon is for drive-by crimes to injure or even kill young children. But that is exactly…
A blue salute in Scottsdale
Spread the love. Family, friends, co-workers and neighbors of the late CPD Officer James R. Svec Jr. –as well as elected and appointed officials– gathered at 77th and Kolmar last Saturday to unveil an honorary street sign saluting him for his sacrifice. Officer Svec died at age 59 in December 2021 from causes related to…
Thank you for telling the truth about Nicor.they have raised the prices so high that seniors and poor families can’t afford foods and necessities . I keep my thermostat at 75 and I still have to wear a sweater or coat to keep warm. My bill at 175.00 a month and I only have furnace a hot water and dryer I wash sometime once a week. Never have my bill been this much lt stared happening when they put the meter on the outside of my house.
Wake up people do care about your own gas bills
Great article and spot on. People say nothing and just accept this. Typical residents of Chicago and Il, let the leftist democrats and rino republicans sell us down the River and accept it like lemmings.
Rhino republicans❓ Republicans don’t have any say in this state because of Chicago ❗ This state is full of corruption ❗ It’s all about who can line who’s pockets ❗The average American is nothing more than a slave to politicians, working to fill their pockets and their families pockets.
Thanks for the eye opening information. Just unbelievable that there is so little government oversight, and criminal conduct that isn’t front page news. This is corruption at its worst. Obviously citizens need to wake up and take action. Problems at the IRS also show that regular people don’t stand a chance against wealthy companies who rape the public by overcharging for their products,and not paying taxes to boot. Even Presidents don’t pay taxes!
Great article Mr Hanania!
Please consider doing a similar piece about ComEd.
Its not just company ameren is just as bad. They have raised their power bill up so much I haven’t had my heater going but for the days that it was -31 I had to ran it for 4 days which increased it by $80. Having only 7 things plug in it still ranks 86.88 a month who can afford this and they want another increase in electricity and gas. I have not been heating my house the rest of the time because there no way to afford it.