Rep. Jack D. Franks

Filed: 2/28/2012

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 3884

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 3884 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Overhead Utility Facilities Damage Prevention Act.
 
6    Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly recognizes that
7it is a goal of this State to provide residents with safe and
8reliable electric service. The General Assembly finds that
9certain vegetation poses serious hazards to electric utility
10power lines. Specifically, the General Assembly finds that
11electric power outages related to the interference of
12vegetation are often caused by the planting of tall-growing
13tree species near electric utility power lines. As a result,
14the General Assembly finds that it is necessary to impose
15regulations regarding the placement of these trees when
16planting these trees and to provide procedures for the electric

 

 

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1utilities' maintenance and removal of such trees, which will
2reduce power outages and increase reliability of electric
3service.
 
4    Section 10. Definitions. For the purposes of this Act:
5    "Approved vegetation" means any tree with a mature height
6that is less than 25 feet as identified in the most recent
7version of "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants" by Michael Dirr.
8    "Commission" means the Illinois Commerce Commission.
9    "Electric utility" has the same meaning as set forth in
10Section 16-102 of the Public Utilities Act.
 
11    Section 15. Approved vegetation. It shall be lawful for any
12person to plant approved vegetation within 20 feet of an
13electric utility pole or overhead electrical conductor with a
14nominal voltage rating of 100 kilovolts or less, excluding
15single customer overhead service wires, located within the
16State. Any vegetation that is not approved vegetation planted,
17whether by a person or by natural means, within 20 lateral feet
18of an electric utility pole or overhead electrical conductor
19with a nominal voltage rating of 100 kilovolts or less,
20excluding single customer overhead service wires, located
21within the State shall be subject to the removal procedures
22established pursuant to the rulemaking proceeding conducted in
23accordance with Section 25 of this Act.
 

 

 

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1    Section 20. Notice regarding approved vegetation. Each
2electric utility shall provide on its website educational
3material that encourages the planting of approved vegetation
4near utility poles and overhead electrical conductors. Twice a
5year, in May and September, each electric utility shall include
6with its billing statements an insert that provides a notice
7and shall also cause the notice to appear in newspapers of
8general circulation adequate to cover the utility's service
9area. The notice shall provide:
10        "It is only lawful for a person to plant any tree with
11    a mature height that is less than 25 feet within 20 lateral
12    feet of an electric utility pole or overhead electrical
13    conductor with a nominal voltage rating of 100 kilovolts or
14    less, excluding single customer overhead service wires,
15    located within Illinois. Violators may be subject to the
16    removal of the non-approved vegetation pursuant to the
17    removal procedures established under Section 25 of the
18    Overhead Utility Facilities Damage Prevention Act.".
 
19    Section 25. Rulemaking to establish removal procedures.
20Within 180 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act
21of the 97th General Assembly, the Commission shall initiate a
22rulemaking proceeding to establish rules regarding:
23        (1) an electric utility's removal of non-approved
24    vegetation planted after the effective date of this
25    amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly, including, but

 

 

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1    not limited to, permitting the electric utility to remove
2    the non-approved vegetation without replacement;
3        (2) an electric utility's removal of non-approved
4    vegetation planted prior to the effective date of this
5    amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly, provided that
6    in the electric utility's judgment the electric utility's
7    standard pruning to ANSI A300 standards does not adequately
8    mitigate the risk that the vegetation poses to reliable
9    electric service;
10        (3) an electric utility's removal of non-approved
11    vegetation planted by natural means both before and after
12    the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th
13    General Assembly, including, but not limited to,
14    permitting the electric utility to remove the non-approved
15    vegetation without replacement; and
16        (4) an electric utility's removal of non-approved
17    vegetation planted by natural means prior to the effective
18    date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly,
19    provided that in the electric utility's judgment the
20    electric utility's standard pruning to ANSI A300 standards
21    does not adequately mitigate the risk that the vegetation
22    poses to reliable electric service.
 
23    Section 30. Interference with utility maintenance and
24removal of vegetation. It shall be unlawful for any person to
25interfere with an electric utility, including, but not limited

 

 

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1to, its employees and contractors, while the electric utility
2is performing vegetation management and removal activities
3pursuant to this Act or Section 8-505.1 of the Public Utilities
4Act, including, but not limited to, tree trimming and tree
5removal activities.
 
6    Section 35. Commission enforcement. The Commission shall
7have the power and jurisdiction to enforce the provisions of
8this Act by including in the rules adopted under Section 25 of
9this Act a schedule of charges that an electric utility may
10assess for the removal of non-approved vegetation planted after
11the effective date of this Act.
 
12    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
13becoming law.".