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March 11, 2019
ENERGY COUNCIL MEETING - APRIL 2
The Energy Council will welcome House Public Utilities Chairman Walsh and Senate Energy and Public Utilities Chairman Cunningham to our next meeting on April 2nd in Springfield. The legislators will provide an update of ongoing energy issues before the General Assembly. The meeting will be hosted by the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency at 3400 Conifer Dr, Springfield from 10.30a-12pm. Please RSVP here.
SPRINGFIELD
Last Week
House Public Utilities met and moved some bills to subcommittee - HB2733 (Morrison) requires for the ICC to grant a project in the interest of public convenience and necessity only if the utility demonstrates that customers will not pay for the construction of new infrastructure or facilities they would not use.
HB2801
(Welch) requires DCEO, ICC, IPA, and IEPA to design a broad-based policy approach to decarbonize the electricity sector by 2030. This is part of the Clean Jobs Coalition package of bills.
HB2855
(Gabel) requires the ICC to open a plan for transportation electrification. The bill requires the plan to include incentives. The ICC held a Notice of Inquiry over the fall to examine its role and plausibility of expanding transportation electrification. Another component of the Clean Jobs Coalition package.
HB2899
(Yingling) requires the purpose of the Alternative Fuels Act as pushing the use of electrification instead of alternative fuels.
HB2926
(Slaughter) requires an independent study on battery storage and requires certain things to be analyzes, such as cost-savings to customers.
HB2956
(Davis) would eliminate the exemption set through FEJA for large electricity users (10MW and over) from participating in energy efficiency and demand response programs and charges. The Chamber is opposed.
House Environment met for a subject matter hearing on energy policy. Committee members heard from Former IEPA Director Doug Scott, now with the Great Plains Institute, and current Illinois Power Agency Director Anthony Starr. Mr. Scott and Mr. Star spoke on a variety of areas of energy, such as electricity markets, how pricing works, the role of the IPA in RECs, ZECs, and electricity procurement.
The committee did hear one bill,
HB2764
(Hurley) which would allow for the use of less onerous manifesting for transporting non-hazardous waste
. The Chamber supported the bill.
HB2460
(Davis) passed out of House State Government on Wednesday. The bill creates the Illinois Sustainable Investing Act that any public agency or governmental unit (such as schools) shall develop and implement sustainable investment policies and incorporate those into new and existing investments. Some of those policies include consideration of corporate governance, leadership factors, social capital costs, and environmental factors such as greenhouse gases. This is an initiative of the Illinois Treasurer's Office, who already may make these considerations when investing on behalf of taxpayers, negating the need for the bill in the opinion of the Chamber. We opposed to the bill.
Senate Energy and Public Utilities met on Thursday and passed two bills out on the agreed bill list.
SB1529 (Harmon) concerns start dates for REC contracts if the project is delayed due to finalizing interconnection agreements due to actions or inactions by the transmission operator and
SB1792 (Aquino) requires an independent study on battery storage and requires certain things to be analyzes, such as cost-savings to customers
SB1530 (Harmon) unanimously passed the Senate Commerce and Economic Development Committee Thursday morning. The bill amends the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act providing that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is authorized to receive and approve applications for the designation of "High Impact Businesses" in Illinois if the business intends to, among other potential intentions, establish a new utility-scale solar facility at a designated location in Illinois. The Chamber supports this measure.
This Week
Tuesday
House Public Utilities
is posted for its regularly scheduled time of 2pm on Tuesday. A lot of bills are posted, so for the full list click to the Committee posting. New bills or bills with positions are listed below.
HB2657
(Moeller) provides that an alternative retail electric supplier and alternative gas supplier shall: make certain information available on its website; send a separate written notice or electronic mail informing the residential customer of the upcoming change in price or other charge; and not automatically renew a contract with a residential customer at a rate higher than the initial term of the contract or automatically change or renew a fixed contract to a variable rate contract. Provides that all marketing materials shall contain the Historical Price to Compare from the immediately preceding 12 months. Establishes additional provisions impacting ARES.
HB2711
, 2712, and 2713 are shell bills. The bills currently would require various studies to be performed.
HB2728
(Mah) provides that the IEPA shall consider adverse impacts on environmental justice communities relating to granting a permit or permit renewal before publishing a draft permit for public comment. The bill would codify environmental justice policies that the IEPA considers now and adds requirements beyond current practices. The Chamber is opposed.
HB2861
(Walsh) is the likely shell bill for further activity on capacity markets and broader energy policy changes that could include additional ZECs. Another component of the Clean Jobs Coalition package and the nuclear industry.
HB3093
(Moeller) requires the ICC to consider when considering a permit for a pipeline, the impact on environmental cost and benefits that occur due to changes in the physical or biogeological environment from pipelines.
HB3152
(Hoffman) would extend the formula ratemaking process for electricity rates that is set to sunset in 2022.
HB3224 (Jones) would prohibit an electric utility from increasing electric rates unless the utility have provided retails customer rebates in the five years preceding the rate increase.
HB3225 (Jones) requires large electric utilities to fund five workforce training centers, three in northern Illinois and two downstate.
HB3238
(Chapa LaVia) prohibits fracking. We are opposed.
HB3383
(Diedrich) allows a county board to provide consent or denial in sitting fracking sites.
HB3386
(Guzzardi) bans fracking. We are opposed.
HB3399 (Stuart) Provides that references to the International Code Council's International Energy Conservation Code includes Appendix RB.
HB3400 (Stuart) provides that, among other types of contracts, renewable energy resources contracts and leases may be entered into for a period of time deemed to be in the best interest of the State but not exceeding 15 years inclusive of proposed contract or lease renewals
HB3602
(Yingling) requires a public utility to make a good faith effort to provide notice to a consumer through email or U.S. mail before sending account to a collection agency for non-payment.
House Environment
will meet at 4pm on Tuesday. For the full posting, see here.
HB2076
(Villa) would ban the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in paper products in business and banking records. It impacts receipts, so anyone that has a business that deals with point of sale receipts would likely be impacted. We are opposed.
HB2491
(Walsh) Provides that to the extent allowed by federal law, uncontaminated plastics that meet feedstock specifications for a gasification facility or pyrolysis facility, and that are further processed by a gasification facility or pyrolysis facility and returned to the economic mainstream in the form of crude oil, diesel, gasoline, home heating oil or other fuels, chemicals, waxes, lubricants, chemical feedstocks, diesel and gasoline blendstocks, or other raw materials or intermediate or final products, are considered recycled and are not subject to regulation as waste. The Chamber supports this bill.
HB2596
(Sosnowski) would remove requirement that towns with less than 10,000 people had to pay certain discharge fees, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
HB2651 (Ramierz), which would institute a deposit fee of 5cents on each beverage container in the state.
We are opposed.
HB2743 (Morrison) deletes the Alternative Fuel rebate program.
HB2966
(Davis) would expand the renewable portfolio standard to 40% and expand the RPS program while providing efficiencies. The bill, among other provisions, seeks to have the IPA procure battery storage projects by 2021. The bill has been moved to subcommittee.
HB3068 (Costa Howard) provides that it is the policy of the State to establish a comprehensive statewide program for solid waste management which will preserve or enhance the quality of air, water, and land resources.
HB3481 (Gabel) repeals the Kyoto Protocol. The agreement, among other provisions, requires the U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7% from 1990 levels and exempts China, India, Mexico, Indonesia, and Brazil.
HB3486 (Ortiz) requires that, after January 1, 2022, all receipts be delivered in electronic form, unless requested by the consumer to receive it in paper form. The Chamber is opposed.
HB3624 (Williams) was amended this week to include language from the Clean Energy Jobs Act. The amendment is not posted for Committee.
House Judiciary - Criminal
could hear HB1633. The bill would impose stricter criminal penalties on a person who knowingly damages critical infrastructure such as pipelines, railways, transmission, etc. The Chamber supports the bill.
Senate Transportation has SB2059 (Koehler) requires the ICC to open a plan for transportation electrification. The bill requires the plan to include incentives. The ICC held a Notice of Inquiry over the fall to examine its role and plausibility of expanding transportation electrification.
Wednesday
Senate Local Government
is scheduled for 9am. The Committee could hear SB1114 (Bush) which allows a county, if it finds an imminent hazard to the public health or safety exists arising from an unfit condition, may bring an action for immediate injunctive relief. These can include garbage, human or animal waste, debris, or "other hazardous, noxious, or unhealthy substances or materials from a structure or property." While the bill is likely geared toward garbage, etc. it could include a host of other things with the general nature of "other hazardous substances...".
Senate State Government
has SB2062 (Martinez) posted for a 2pm hearing. The bill is identical to Rep. Davis' bill that passed House State Government last week.
It creates the Illinois Sustainable Investing Act that any public agency or governmental unit (such as schools) shall develop and implement sustainable investment policies and incorporate those into new and existing investments. Some of those policies include consideration of corporate governance, leadership factors, social capital costs, and environmental factors such as greenhouse gases. This is an initiative of the Illinois Treasurer's Office, who already may make these considerations when investing on behalf of taxpayers. The Chamber opposed to the bill.
Senate Executive
posted for 2pm, and could hear SB1407, Amdt 1 (Hastings), which creates the Illinois Hazardous Materials Workforce Training Act. The bill would have the effect of requiring all construction and maintenance work at privately owned petroleum refineries and petrochemical facilities within the state to be exclusively performed by members of certain trade unions.
At 2.30pm, House State Governments meets. We are monitoring HB935 (McSweeney) which makes a series of changes to the JCAR process to allow the private sector to provide economic analysis of proposed rules or rule changes and have those analysis included.
HB2992
(Thapedi) requires the Secretary of State to maintain a list of domestic and foreign corporations under the Public Utilities Act and other Acts that hold a license, franchise, or other right to do business in the State. Requires the SOS to provide that information to the ICC and the status of those corporations.
At 2.30pm on Wednesday, House Labor and Commerce meets at could hear HB249 (Walsh). The bill has been posted for a few weeks. Like SB1407, it would create the Illinois Hazardous Materials Workforce Training Act.
HB1562
(Guzzardi) which requires the written consent of every mineral owner before fracking may begin. This is a repeat from last year, where it was moved to the Workforce Reconciliation Subcommittee. We opposed the bill.
Thursday
Senate Agriculture meets at 8am. SB1836 (Tracy) would require the Department of Ag to add a database to log complaints for renewable energy projects. The sponsor said it was unlikely this bill will move.
At 8.30am in House Revenue, HB826 (Zalewski) continues to be posted for subcommittee. The bill would allow a municipality to impose a tax for the privilege of using gas in the municipality that was purchased out-of-state. The Chamber is opposed.
HB3382
(Diedrich) establishes a coal severance tax at 5% of the gross value of the coal severed from mines in Illinois. The Chamber is opposed.
SB1958 (Sims) is likely a shell bill.
SB2020
(Steans) requires DCEO, ICC, IPA, and IEPA to design a broad-based policy approach to decarbonize the electricity sector by 2030.
SB2027 (Bennett) would codify the findings of the Mahomet Aquifer Task Force and SB2073 (Rose) creates the Mahomet Aquifer Council to make recommendations to the State regarding the Mahomet Aquifer.
EVENTS
SECOND ANNUAL WOMEN IN BUSINESS CONFERENCE - MARCH 15
The Illinois Chamber of Commerce is hosting its second Women in Business conference on March 15th, 2019 in Oak Brook, IL. The event will bring together business leaders from across the State to encourage all attendees to invest in themselves, become courageous leaders, and be a force in their careers.
Our panel topics this year focus on practices to better diversify corporations and understanding why diversity brings more business success; individual communication tactics to send a message of confidence; and learning from proven influencers on the skills that can help you get to where you want to be professionally. These panels will be capped with keynote addresses by inspiring speakers to embolden attendees to blaze their own path. The event will end with a networking and social event. You don't want to miss out on this fun event!
For more information, the agenda, sponsorship information, and how to register, click here!
CHAMBER DAY - MARCH 20
Registration for Illinois Chamber Day on March 20th is now open. Topics include minimum wage, marijuana, transportation, and taxes. More information is here!
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