SPRINGFIELD
It's that time of year again. Session starts with the House in on January 23
rd and the Senate on January 30
th. New bills are being introduced. It's a slow trickle so far, but our team is already falling into our usual routine of bill review so we make sure to catch those that matter most to our members. Starting after veto session in the energy space, only one to flag. Please, if there are any bills of interest to you you'd like us to monitor, please send them my way.
HB4436 (Phillips) would require the inclusion of sourcing agreements between "clean coal facilities" and both utilities and alternative retail electric suppliers as part of each annual procurement plan from the IPA and ICC. Rep. Phillips introduced this language as an amendment last year to HB1848. The bill was scheduled for a House Energy Committee, but quickly moved to subcommittee during the hearing. The Chamber opposed that bill last year.
No one ever truly knows what session will bring, but we anticipate quite a few days to be canceled before the March 20
th primary. And while it will be relatively lite, there are quite a few members running for statewide office. They could use this session as an opportunity to introduce or move bills that bring attention to certain policy ideas. Stay tuned.
CHAMBER CEO TO ADDRESS CITY CLUB OF CHICAGO - FEBRUARY 13
Todd Maisch, President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber, will be speaking at the City Club of Chicago on February 13, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. at Maggiano's Banquets in Chicago. As the leader of Illinois' premier business organization, Todd will provide insight on what we can do to ensure Illinois succeeds, the policy issues that need resolve, and exactly what makes Illinois the envy of the Midwest.
We recognize 2018 as an opportunity to elevate our state's potential and believe that Illinois' economic promise still shines bright. That is why the Illinois Chamber is rigorously engaged in fighting for economic opportunity and policies that benefit all of Illinois' employers.
Register today to get your ticket (or tickets!). We hope to see you there and encourage you to spread the word to fellow business advocates!
FERC DENIES DOE NOPR
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
denied the U.S. Department of Energy's proposal on grid resiliency pricing. Largely seen as a proposal to subsidize coal and nuclear power plants, FERC denied the proposal in a 5-0 decision. FERC has
instead launched an inquiry into the resilience of regional transmission grids. The effort will look to regional gird operators (those under FERC authority) to review an extensive list of questions about improving power system resilience and report back within 60 days.
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