Say No to IMEA’s Proposed Extension

Statement from the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force (NEST)

The Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) has approved a 60-day extension on its proposed electricity contract. Naperville’s City Council must now decide whether to sign a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar contract with no competitive bids, no pricing details, and no way out until 2055. NEST is calling on the Council to vote no—clearly, decisively, and finally—on this proposal.

Over the past year, misinformation has clouded the public conversation about Naperville’s energy future. It’s time to be clear.

IMEA does not provide Naperville’s electricity reliability.
IMEA only generates power, primarily from two coal plants in Illinois and Kentucky. Naperville’s reliability stems from the PJM grid and our own city-owned electric utility, which has made significant investments to prevent outages. Switching electricity providers would not impact our reliability. That’s a fact.

Councilman McBroom’s recent editorial misleads residents.
In his June 20 column, Councilman McBroom promoted a 20-year, $2 billion contract extension with IMEA without even considering other options. Naperville has received one offer from one company, with no prices or price caps. McBroom wants to lock us in now, even though the current contract doesn’t expire until 2035. Why the rush? Even the consultants hired by the city stated that they had never seen a contract signed this far in advance. His warnings about the “cost of delay” ring hollow, especially when those same consultants project that IMEA’s rates will triple over the life of the contract.

The current IMEA contract has already cost Naperville ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars more than if we had purchased electricity on the open market. Both IMEA’s own data and NEST’s analysis clearly demonstrate this. Naperville has been overpaying for years, primarily due to cost overruns at the coal plants owned by IMEA. Why would we double down on a deal that has already cost us so much?

This proposal carries enormous risk.
While Councilman McBroom claims the IMEA deal is low-risk, we would argue the opposite. The electricity market is changing rapidly, and new technologies are emerging every year. This contract offers no flexibility, no way out, and no protection from price hikes. Signing a 30-year deal when our current one still has a decade left is simply irresponsible.

This is a climate and economic disaster in the making.
Signing with IMEA means extending our dependence on coal for decades. Right now, 78 percent of our electricity comes from coal, one of the dirtiest and most expensive sources of power. Some point to Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which requires 100 percent clean electricity by 2045, but that law does not protect us under this deal. IMEA can replace retiring coal with fossil fuel plants located outside the state, beyond Illinois’ jurisdiction. One of IMEA’s key coal plants, Trimble County, in Kentucky, could keep operating until 2055, long after most of the country has moved on.

On top of that, IMEA’s largest plant will lose about half its capacity just three years into this proposed contract. At least half of IMEA’s current generation will be retired a decade before the deal ends. 

Councilman McBroom calls this stability, but he hasn’t explained how IMEA will replace that power or what it will cost. The idea that IMEA won’t issue new bonds or take on new risks after losing so much capacity is unrealistic at best.

Supporters of the contract also mention IMEA’s plan to transition away from coal, but there’s no commitment to back it up. As Councilman Patrick Kelly stated, and city staff confirmed during the June 6 Council meeting, IMEA’s sustainability plan is “really aspirational in nature. It’s not mandated or guaranteed.” The proposed contract includes no energy mix, no enforceable clean energy targets, and no mechanism for Naperville to hold IMEA accountable.

Naperville deserves a real process, not a rushed decision.
On June 3, the City Council voted unanimously to hold a series of workshops to explore long-term energy options. Now, Councilmember McBroom is pushing to bypass that process and approve IMEA’s offer without public input or meaningful comparisons. That is not how good decisions are made.

NEST has consistently called for a transparent, data-driven process:

• Solicit competitive bids
• Host public workshops
• Evaluate our options based on environmental and economic impact
• And make decisions grounded in facts, not fear
  

This is a once-in-a-generation, multi-billion-dollar choice. It deserves thoughtful debate, not an artificial deadline set by a company trying to lock us in.

Naperville can lead, but only if we have the courage to say no to a bad deal. Now is the time to demand better.

Say no to IMEA. Say yes to transparency, affordability, and a cleaner energy future.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Email City Council Members TODAY. Let them know we still need to say NO to IMEA. Even if you’ve written before, they need to hear from you again now.
   Contact:
   • Mary Gibson: [email protected]
   • Ian Holzhauer: [email protected]
   • Patrick Kelly: [email protected]
   • Allison Longenbaugh: [email protected]
   • Josh McBroom: [email protected]
   • Ashfaq Syed: [email protected]
   • Scott Wehrli (Mayor): [email protected]
   • Benny White: [email protected]
   • Nate Wilson: [email protected]
2. Spread the word. Share this information with friends and neighbors in Naperville—via email, text, or social media. The more people understand what’s at stake, the more momentum we build.
3. Show up. Mark your calendar and plan to attend the City Council meeting on Monday, August 19, when we anticipate a vote on IMEA. We’ll be there—and we need you with us.