JC Kibbey from the Natural Resource Defense Council, left, Rep. Larry Walsh (D-Joliet), middle, and Mark Denzler from the Illinois Manufactures’ Association, right, speak during the House Public Utilities Committee Wednesday.

Business leaders are asking lawmakers to address a gap in the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) they say is driving up costs for consumers and threatens blackouts because the law narrowly defines clean energy sources. But an environmental group is pushing back, saying polluters are simply looking for a back door out of the law’s tougher energy requirements.