Could the impacts of Illinois' energy legislation be felt this summer?

A central Illinois lawmaker thinks so. On the WHOW Morning Show Monday, State Representative Dan Caulkins is predicting Illinois could see impactful power shortages this summer because there will be a shortage of energy to support the state.

During peak demand times through the summer months, the Decatur Republican predicts calls for scaling back on energy consumption, and families and businesses are going to be shocked when their energy bills are very high.

The Clinton Power Station is the only supplier of nuclear power downstate and Rep. Caulkins points out the lack of energy supplied to the grid in downstate Illinois has been an issue for a couple of years now.

According to Rep. Caulkins, Illinois has two coal-fired plants that could supply Illinois with the exact amount of energy needed to power the State but those are getting shut down as part of the Governor's energy initiatives.

Rep. Caulkins indicates last summer, big energy generators were requested to cut back on power consumption but also requested to produce as much energy as possible. He believes this will be an issue in House, Senate, and even the Governor's races this summer and in November.