Here at Eye On Illinois, there is a short list of suggestions for readers to become the best version of an active, engaged citizenry.

Among those recommendations is always reading source documents – judicial opinions, state audits, etc. – but that idea seems quite a large ask when it comes to Commonwealth Edison’s four-year grid improvement plan, filed Jan. 16. The $15.3 billion proposal is available on the Illinois Commerce Commission website in 15 different PDFs: an executive summary and 11 chapters reaching 838 pages, plus two appendices split over three files adding another 6,479.

The landing page for Document 26-0047 is at tinyurl.com/ComEdGridPlan. Godspeed to any civilian who wants to wade into those deep waters. Please think of the trees before choosing to print something like Chapter 6: System Reliability Investments (243 pages), but there is good information available for those willing to spend the time.

Capitol News Illinois summarized the plan Friday, and some of the quotes Maggie Dougherty sourced illustrate the value of reading with your own eyes.

“We’ve applied all of the learnings from those experiences to this one,” said ComEd President and Chief Executive Officer Gil Quiniones, referring to filing and refiling the utility’s first grid plan. “We are confident that we’re putting a plan that is in alignment with the statute but also in alignment with the expectations of the [ICC].”

Meanwhile, Citizens Utility Board Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz issued a statement calling this “another bloated, expensive grid plan. Everyone supports a strong distribution system, but ComEd has a responsibility to maintain its grid in a way that benefits customers and doesn’t bankrupt them.”

Reality most likely falls somewhere in between, and ICC’s approval process should illuminate the facts. The Commission rejected ComEd’s first four-year grid plan in 2023, finding it didn’t meet the standards of the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, before eventually approving a reduced proposal.

Part of the Commission’s process is taking testimony, including from the public, making this a fine opportunity to get involved. It’s not light reading, but if you want to know about the potential monthly bill impact, now is a good time to start learning.

OLYMPICS APPROACHING: The Winter Olympics will soon begin with opening ceremonies set for Feb. 6 in Milan, Italy. As space allows, I’ll spotlight some of the Illinois natives who will compete for the United States.

Today we feature teammates Ethan Cepuran, 25, of Glen Ellyn, and Emery Lehman, 29, of Oak Park, who won bronze in 2022 in speedskating (team pursuit) but have now higher hopes following gold at the 2025 World Single Distances Championships and a world record time later that year. This will be Lehman’s fourth Olympics and Cepuran’s second.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.