|
March 18, 2019
RSVP TODAY! 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.
SPRINGFIELD
Last Week -
For the full list of what happened last week, click here.
Tuesday - House Public Utilities
met to consider HB3152
(Hoffman) passed out of the House Public Utilities Committee (18-0-1). The bill would extend the formula rate making process for electricity rates that is set to sunset in 2022. The Chamber is neutral.
It also moved a few bills to subcommittee -
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.
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.
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.
House Energy and Environment
met and considered two bills and held a subject matter on HB282 (Gabel) would prohibit certain small drilling wells from classifying as confidential, which Illinois allows to be for two years. The Chamber is opposed. The Committee did hear and pass HB3481 (Gabel), which repeals the Kyoto Protocol. The law restricts the State from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
Wednesday - Senate Executive
passed 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. The Chamber opposed the bill.
Thursday - Senate Agriculture
met and did not consider SB1836 (Tracy). The bill would require the Department of Agriculture to develop a form and database for complaints and comments for commercial renewable projects. Senator Tracy agreed to hold the bill to hold further conversations on how this would impact projects.
HB3382 (Diedrich) was moved to subcommittee in House Revenue. It establishes a coal severance tax at 5% of the gross value of the coal severed from mines in Illinois. The Chamber is opposed.
Senate Environment and Conversation
considered
SB1852(Curran) passed out of the Senate Environment Committee 9-0-0. This bill provides that in the event of an ethylene oxide leak a facility shall issue a notice to all affected property owners and local government within 2,500 feet of the leak site. The Chamber opposes this bill.
SB1854 (Curran) passed the Senate Environment Committee this week 7-2-0. This bill provides that beginning on the effective date of the bill no facility shall have fugitive emissions of ethylene oxide above zero. Provides that each facility shall be subject to regular and frequent inspections and testing to ensure that no fugitive emissions of ethylene oxide exist. The Chamber is opposed.
SB2020 (Steans) passed out of Committee. The bill requires multiple state agencies to set a broad-based policy approach to decarbonize Illinois' electric sector, phasing out polluting power plants by 2030. The Chamber has concerns with the overall goal of decarbonization by 2030 and that the bill does not include language on costs to ratepayers, the impact to Illinois' economy and the impact on electric reliability. The sponsor agreed to consider adding language to reflect those points.
Amendments
HB2861 (Walsh) has been amended to include language for capacity market reforms in Illinois.
SB9 (Bennett) was also amended to create new coal ash requirements. The bill is posted for Senate Environment and Conservation for Thursday.
Next Week -
For a list of what we are tracking and what's up, click here.
Tuesday
House Public Utilities
is posted for 3pm on Tuesday. A lot of bills are posted, so for the full list click to the Committee posting. Chairman Walsh has called a subject matter hearing on HB2392 (Connor) would require a referendum for a state or local-owned water utility to sell a water or sewer utility to a large public utility. It's unlikely anything else will be called.
House Environment
will meet at 5pm on Tuesday. However, the Committee is expected to hear a subject matter hearing on 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; and HB3524 (Williams) the Clean Energy Jobs Act. According the staff, testimony will only be from one speaker per bill, designed to present the bills to the Committee. I have been told there will be an opportunity for further discussion and for the Committee to receive testimony from additional parties at another time. Again, it is unlikely any other bills will be called. For the full posting, see here.
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. An amendment has been filed to lower the criminal penalties from a Class 1 to Class 3 penalty and add coal mines to the definition of critical infrastructure. The Chamber supports the bill.
Wednesday
House Judiciary - Civil
meets at 8.30am and could hear HB2839 (Gong- Gershowitz) The bill is a repeat from last year and provides that a person suffering legal wrong or aggrieved because of a final administrative decision is entitled to judicial review to the same extent as a person who is a party. The bill also allows new evidence to be submitted and applies to the Department of Ag, Transportation, Public Health, Natural Resources, and IEPA. The Chamber is opposed. Our opposition paper is here.
Senate State Government
has SB2062 (Martinez) posted for a 2pm hearing. The bill was amended to add language that sustainability factors are not the only component of an evaluation of investment decisions. SB2062
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.
Thursday
SB130 (Koehler) Amdt 2 requires the ICC to conduct a study on the ability of competitive markets to reduce costs for consumers and on the performance of generation during summer and winter peak months.
SB135 (Koehler) Amdt 2 was filed to require the Illinois Power Agency to conduct a workshop and report on the importance of fuel diversity in Illinois for capacity and the level of demand response options on capacity and wholesale markets.
SB1301
(Mulroe) is a likely shell bill.
SB1740
(Mulroe) to encourage the expanded use of energy savings programs.
SB1781
(Cunningham) makes changes to Illinois solar programs. As I reported last week, the bill calls for increasing Illinois' renewable portfolio standard to 40% by 2030, up from 25% by 2025. The bill would include a series of other provisions designed to improve efficiencies to the REC program: improving the interconnection process, removing technical barriers to deployment, enhancing contract certainty, and others.
SB1896
impacts license of alternative retail electric and gas suppliers and sets additional requirements for their activities.
SB2080
(Hastings) extend the formula ratemaking process for electricity rates that is set to sunset in 2022.
SB2084
(Harmon) sets forth additional requirements for electric and gas alternative retail suppliers, such as requiring ARES to include a statement that they are not the same as the electric utility and providing rates it charged customers in the previous quarter to the ICC and Attorney General, among others.
SB2123
creates the Renewable Energy Pay As You Save Program which allows utility customers to purchase renewable energy and energy storage systems with no upfront payment and to pay for those costs over time on their utility bill.
SB2132
would decarbonize by 2030; require Illinois to take over capacity markets from PJM; a call to 100% renewables for the electricity sector by 2050; electrifying the transportation network, including rebates to install personal EV infrastructure; and numerous job programs and community programs to promote clean energy.
Senate Environment and Conservation Committee meets at 11am. Of the bills posted, we are monitoring SB9, mentioned above and SB1184 (Fine) would ban the use of coal tar sealant in Illinois. An amendment was offered to limits the bill to Cook, DuPage, Lake, or McHenry counties. The Chamber is opposed to this effort, which has been an introduced for at least the last two General Assemblies.
SB2140 (Ellman) which repeals the Kyoto Protocol. The law restricts the State from regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The House passed a version last week.
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!
|
