Highlights:

• Specifies “department” means the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity unless the text solely specifies a particular department (Sec. 5-5).

• Requires the Equitable Energy Future Grant to be awarded to businesses and nonprofit organizations for costs related to the following activities and project needs (Sec. 5-60.d-1):

• Planning and project development, including costs for professional services such as architecture, design, engineering, auditing, consulting, and developer services;

• Project application, deposit, and approval;

• Purchasing and leasing of land;

• Permitting and zoning;

• Interconnection application costs and fees, studies, and expenses;

• Equipment and supplies;

• Community outreach, marketing, and engagement; and

• Staff and operations expenses.

• Requires the Beneficial Electrification Plan to specifically address, but is not limited to, the following (Sec. 45-8):

• Make-ready investments to facilitate the rapid deployment of charging equipment throughout the State;

• The development and implementation of beneficial electrification programs, including time-of-use rates and their benefit for electric vehicle users and all customers;

• Optional commercial tariffs utilizing alternatives to traditional demand-based rate structures to facilitate charging for light-duty, heavy-duty, and fleet electric vehicles;

• Financial and other challenges to electric vehicle usage in low-income communities, and strategies for overcoming those challenges, particularly in communities and for people for whom car ownership is not an option;

• Methods of minimizing ratepayer impacts and exempting or minimizing, to the extent possible, low-income ratepayers from the costs associated with facilitating the expansion of electric vehicle charging;

• Plans to increase access to Level 3 Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure to serve vehicles that need quicker charging times and vehicles of persons who have no other access to charging infrastructure.

• Requires the Illinois Power Agency to award rebates or grants that fund up to 80% of the cost of the installation of charging stations. The Agency will award additional incentives per port for every charging station installed in an eligible community and every charging station located to support eligible persons (Sec. 55.b).

• Requires the Department of Labor to develop and administer a statewide program to assist small clean energy contractors in administering and complying with the Prevailing Wage Act requirements (Sec. 1505-220).

• Authorizes the Illinois Power Agency to develop carbon mitigation credit procurement plans to include carbon mitigation credits generated from carbon-free energy resources sufficient to achieve the standards specified in this Act (Sec. 1-20.a-1).

• Requires the first 2 blocks of annual capacity for item (iii) to be for 250 megawatts of total nameplate capacity, with both blocks opening simultaneously under the schedule outlined. Projects will be selected as follows (Sec. 1-75):

• The geographic balance of selected projects will follow the Group classification found in the Agency's Revised Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan, with 70% of capacity allocated to projects on the Group B waitlist and 30% of capacity allocated to projects on the Group A waitlist; and

• Contract awards for waitlisted projects will be allocated proportionately to the total nameplate capacity amount across both ordinal waitlists associated with that applicant firm or its affiliates.

Signed by Governor JB Pritzker

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with Senate amendments and pass a bill that increases the growth of wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy while also allowing Commonwealth Edison to receive $700 million more from its northern Illinois ratepayers for 5 years to avoid the closure of the Byron nuclear power plant near Rockford and the Dresden nuclear plant.

Highlights:

• Specifies “department” means the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity unless the text solely specifies a particular department (Sec. 5-5).

• Requires the Equitable Energy Future Grant to be awarded to businesses and nonprofit organizations for costs related to the following activities and project needs (Sec. 5-60.d-1):

• Planning and project development, including costs for professional services such as architecture, design, engineering, auditing, consulting, and developer services;

• Project application, deposit, and approval;

• Purchasing and leasing of land;

• Permitting and zoning;

• Interconnection application costs and fees, studies, and expenses;

• Equipment and supplies;

• Community outreach, marketing, and engagement; and

• Staff and operations expenses.

• Requires the Beneficial Electrification Plan to specifically address, but is not limited to, the following (Sec. 45-8):

• Make-ready investments to facilitate the rapid deployment of charging equipment throughout the State;

• The development and implementation of beneficial electrification programs, including time-of-use rates and their benefit for electric vehicle users and all customers;

• Optional commercial tariffs utilizing alternatives to traditional demand-based rate structures to facilitate charging for light-duty, heavy-duty, and fleet electric vehicles;

• Financial and other challenges to electric vehicle usage in low-income communities, and strategies for overcoming those challenges, particularly in communities and for people for whom car ownership is not an option;

• Methods of minimizing ratepayer impacts and exempting or minimizing, to the extent possible, low-income ratepayers from the costs associated with facilitating the expansion of electric vehicle charging;

• Plans to increase access to Level 3 Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure to serve vehicles that need quicker charging times and vehicles of persons who have no other access to charging infrastructure.

• Requires the Illinois Power Agency to award rebates or grants that fund up to 80% of the cost of the installation of charging stations. The Agency will award additional incentives per port for every charging station installed in an eligible community and every charging station located to support eligible persons (Sec. 55.b).

• Requires the Department of Labor to develop and administer a statewide program to assist small clean energy contractors in administering and complying with the Prevailing Wage Act requirements (Sec. 1505-220).

• Authorizes the Illinois Power Agency to develop carbon mitigation credit procurement plans to include carbon mitigation credits generated from carbon-free energy resources sufficient to achieve the standards specified in this Act (Sec. 1-20.a-1).

• Requires the first 2 blocks of annual capacity for item (iii) to be for 250 megawatts of total nameplate capacity, with both blocks opening simultaneously under the schedule outlined. Projects will be selected as follows (Sec. 1-75):

• The geographic balance of selected projects will follow the Group classification found in the Agency's Revised Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan, with 70% of capacity allocated to projects on the Group B waitlist and 30% of capacity allocated to projects on the Group A waitlist; and

• Contract awards for waitlisted projects will be allocated proportionately to the total nameplate capacity amount across both ordinal waitlists associated with that applicant firm or its affiliates.

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that increases the growth of wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy while also allowing Commonwealth Edison to receive $700 million more from its northern Illinois ratepayers for 5 years to avoid the closure of the Byron nuclear power plant near Rockford and the Dresden nuclear plant.

Highlights:

• Specifies “department” means the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity unless the text solely specifies a particular department (Sec. 5-5).

• Requires the Equitable Energy Future Grant to be awarded to businesses and nonprofit organizations for costs related to the following activities and project needs (Sec. 5-60.d-1):

• Planning and project development, including costs for professional services such as architecture, design, engineering, auditing, consulting, and developer services;

• Project application, deposit, and approval;

• Purchasing and leasing of land;

• Permitting and zoning;

• Interconnection application costs and fees, studies, and expenses;

• Equipment and supplies;

• Community outreach, marketing, and engagement; and

• Staff and operations expenses.

• Requires the Beneficial Electrification Plan to specifically address, but is not limited to, the following (Sec. 45-8):

• Make-ready investments to facilitate the rapid deployment of charging equipment throughout the State;

• The development and implementation of beneficial electrification programs, including time-of-use rates and their benefit for electric vehicle users and all customers;

• Optional commercial tariffs utilizing alternatives to traditional demand-based rate structures to facilitate charging for light-duty, heavy-duty, and fleet electric vehicles;

• Financial and other challenges to electric vehicle usage in low-income communities, and strategies for overcoming those challenges, particularly in communities and for people for whom car ownership is not an option;

• Methods of minimizing ratepayer impacts and exempting or minimizing, to the extent possible, low-income ratepayers from the costs associated with facilitating the expansion of electric vehicle charging;

• Plans to increase access to Level 3 Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure to serve vehicles that need quicker charging times and vehicles of persons who have no other access to charging infrastructure.

• Requires the Illinois Power Agency to award rebates or grants that fund up to 80% of the cost of the installation of charging stations. The Agency will award additional incentives per port for every charging station installed in an eligible community and every charging station located to support eligible persons (Sec. 55.b).

• Requires the Department of Labor to develop and administer a statewide program to assist small clean energy contractors in administering and complying with the Prevailing Wage Act requirements (Sec. 1505-220).

• Authorizes the Illinois Power Agency to develop carbon mitigation credit procurement plans to include carbon mitigation credits generated from carbon-free energy resources sufficient to achieve the standards specified in this Act (Sec. 1-20.a-1).

• Requires the first 2 blocks of annual capacity for item (iii) to be for 250 megawatts of total nameplate capacity, with both blocks opening simultaneously under the schedule outlined. Projects will be selected as follows (Sec. 1-75):

• The geographic balance of selected projects will follow the Group classification found in the Agency's Revised Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan, with 70% of capacity allocated to projects on the Group B waitlist and 30% of capacity allocated to projects on the Group A waitlist; and

• Contract awards for waitlisted projects will be allocated proportionately to the total nameplate capacity amount across both ordinal waitlists associated with that applicant firm or its affiliates.

Full Bill Text