It's a matter of survival.

That's how State Representative Dan Caulkins described his call for Illinoisans to scale back on the air conditioning temperatures and energy consumption Wednesday morning on the WHOW Morning Show. The Decatur Republican says this is a matter of survival.

Rep. Caulkins says Illinois is facing an energy shortage this week if people do not turn down their air conditioners during peak consumption hours during this current heat wave. He says the chickens have come home to roost regarding Illinois' energy policies.

Rep. Caulkins is calling on everyone to participate but do not rely on everyone else to do this. He calls this a test of people in central Illinois if residents can come together and do what needs to be done to conserve energy.

The central Illinois republican calls this a man-made catastrophe that needs to be fixed with better policy at the state level. 

Rep. Caulkins recognizes trying to transition to renewable energy is a noble goal but he says in the meantime, we need the capacity to meet the needs of Illinoisans, and the state simply does not have it.