"Investing in a massive coal-burning power plant in southern Illinois has saddled some towns with similarly large electricity rates."

"Across the nation, cities are taking advantage of deals for cheaper electricity made possible by low-cost natural gas. But not in five Chicago suburbs and more than 200 other Midwestern towns that made a big bet on coal.

Almost every month, Batavia, Geneva, Naperville, St. Charles and Winnetka are among dozens of municipalities feeling the sting of their decisions to finance the Prairie State Energy Campus in southern Illinois.

The promised savings simply have not materialized.

'Now THAT was expensive,' a Winnetka village engineer wrote in an email responding to a recent power invoice."

Michael Hawthorne reports for the Chicago Tribune September 4, 2013. [2]