Sup­port­ers of vetoed Illi­nois pow­er line con­struc­tion bill say the fight isn’t over

(The Cen­ter Square) – Sup­port­ers of a union-backed bill that would give util­i­ty com­pa­nies a near monop­oly over the con­struc­tion of new trans­mis­sion lines vow to con­tin­ue to push for pas­sage.
The leg­is­la­tion would have grant­ed exist­ing util­i­ties in down­state Illi­nois, notably Ameren Illi­nois, the “right of first refusal” for trans­mis­sion line con­struc­tion.
Gov. J.B. Pritzk­er issued what’s called an amenda­to­ry veto, strik­ing only the por­tion of House Bill 3445 that deals with the right of first refusal.
“With­out com­pe­ti­tion, Ameren ratepay­ers will pay for these trans­mis­sion projects at a much high­er cost,” Pritzk­er wrote to law­mak­ers.
Corey Stone with Illi­nois Broth­er­hood of Elec­tric Work­ers 51 said out‑o …