January 23, 2018
ILLINOIS COMMERCE COMMISSION
Governor Appoints Two New ICC Commissioners
Governor Rauner appointed two new ICC Commissioners, announced yesterday. D. Ethan Kimbrel and Anastasia Palivos will fill the rolls of outgoing commissioners Sherina Maye Edwards, who resigned on December 6
th, and Miguel Del Valle, whose term expired Jan 15
th. Kimbrel and Palivos will serve five-year terms. More information on their backgrounds can
be found here.
ICC Holds Second Workshop on Resource Adequacy in MISO Zone 4
The ICC held is second of two workshops on
Resource Adequacy in MISO Zone 4 last week. The workshop discussed the format/outline for final comments (due January 30
th) and the final report to the Governor (due February 26). The group also heard oral comments from community members and interested parties.
The ICC intends to use the comments it receives from stakeholders verbatim and, asks that responses be submitted in the outline format distributed among workshop stakeholders. The outline reflects issues discussed in previous comments, which include the Pre-Written Workshop Comments the Illinois Chamber
submitted.
NextGrid
There isn't much to report. The ICC has only one working group that is actively meeting - the New Technology Deployment and Grid Integration group. The ICC has posted a
road map on its website, indicating the phases of the study and when each working group will be launched. The ICC will continue to receive nominations for the working groups through January 26, 2018 at 5pm EST.
PRESIDENT ISSUES TARIFF ON SOLAR PANELS
The White House announced 30% tariffs on imported solar cells and modules that will decline by 5% annually to 15% in the final year, with 2.5 gigawatts worth of cell imports exempted.
Considered a modest decision, analysts predict the industry would see a range of 3%-10% cost increase for utility-scale and residential solar costs, and would likely cut new U.S. solar installations by 10%-15% over the next five years. We will have to see how
China and South Korea react, if they do. Incidentally, the EU
made a similar move last September when it imposed nearly identical import tariffs on Chinese solar modules.
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!
SPRINGFIELD
The House cancelled session this week, but both are scheduled for next. The Governor's State of the State is scheduled for Wednesday, January 31
st.
Committee Moves
Representative Carol Sente will move into Chair of the House Environment Committee. Representative Beiser resigned from the House in December. Representative Andre Thapedi will remain as Vice-Chair of the House Public Utilities Committee and serve as Acting Chair.
As a reminder, important dates are below and please let us know if your organization has any legislation they will be pushing this year.
January 30, 2017 - State of the State Address
February 2, 2017 - House & Senate Deadline for LRB Requests
February 14, 2017 - Governor's Budget Address
February 16, 2017 - House & Senate Deadline for Bill Introduction
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
