By: Muhammad Maroof
Is recognizing ecocide as an international crime the next step in protecting the environment from large companies and the countries funding them? Vanuatu andgmail other small countries think so and have pushed for the recognition of the crime for years. On September 9th, 2024, ecocide was “formally introduced for consideration by member states of the International Criminal Court” (ICC).[1]
Commonwealth Edison Company (“ComEd”), Illinois’ largest electric utility provider, finds itself mired in lawsuits after federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against the Company earlier this summer.
In July, federal prosecutors entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (“DPA”) with ComEd that implicated a range of actors—from ComEd executives to long-time Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan—in a years-long bribery scheme.[1] Federal prosecutors, state regulators, and ratepayers seek to hold ComEd accountable for its conduct.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many states have mandated that utilities maintain service regardless of customers’ ability to pay. [1] The Illinois Commerce Commission (“ICC,” the quasi-judicial agency that regulates Illinois’s utilities), for example, issued an order requiring various customer protections, including a moratorium on utility shutoffs due to nonpayment, more generous deferred payment arrangements, and more favorable credit reporting for missed payments. [2]
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