HIGHWOOD – State Senator Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) will sponsor an informational forum on the recent energy auction, what it means to consumers, and its possible impact on electric rates. The speaker will be Dave Kolata, Executive Director of the Citizens Utility Board. A representative from ComEd, Sheila Owen, will be providing additional information and responding to questions.

The forum will be on Wednesday, November 8, at 7 p.m., at Lake Forest High School in the Raymond Moore Auditorium (located at the southwest corner of the building), 1285 N. McKinley Road, Lake Forest.

Kolata said, "Consumers should know that there's still time to prevent ComEd from raising our electric bills through the roof. Come to Senator Garrett's town hall meeting and find out what you can do to stop this unfair, unnecessary rate hike."

The energy auction, which took place in September, signaled the end of a ten-year freeze on electricity rates in Illinois. However, spiraling energy costs are projected once the freeze is lifted on January 1, and there are pending legislative and legal efforts to prevent the proposed electric rate increases.

“Our goal is to provide as much information to consumers as possible so that they will understand how the auction process works and if they are getting a fair deal or not,” said Garrett.