State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
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91_SB1541ham001

 










                                           LRB9110220JSpcam07

 1                    AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1541

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend Senate Bill 1541 by  replacing
 3    everything after the enacting clause with the following:

 4        "Section  5.  The  Public  Utilities  Act  is  amended by
 5    adding Section 8-505.1 as follows:

 6        (220 ILCS 5/8-505.1 new)
 7        Sec.  8-505.1.    Non-emergency   vegetation   management
 8    activities.
 9        (a)  In    conducting    its   non-emergency   vegetation
10    management activities, an electric public utility shall:
11             (1)  Follow the most current guidelines set forth by
12        the International Society of Arboriculture and  the  most
13        current   applicable   Occupational   Safety  and  Health
14        Administration or American National  Standards  Institute
15        standards.
16             (2)  Provide   notice   of   vegetation   management
17        activities  at  least  21  days  before  beginning  those
18        activities.  If the vegetation management activities will
19        occur in an incorporated municipality, the notice must be
20        given   to  the  mayor.   If  the  vegetation  management
21        activities will occur  in  an  unincorporated  area,  the
22        notice must be given to the chairman of the county board.
 
                            -2-            LRB9110220JSpcam07
 1        Maps  or  a  description  of  the  area to be affected by
 2        vegetation  management  activities  must  accompany   the
 3        notice.    Notification  may  be  discontinued  upon  the
 4        request of the governing  body  of  the  municipality  or
 5        county.  Requests for the termination of notices shall be
 6        in writing.
 7             (3)  Notify  affected customers no fewer than 7 days
 8        before the activity is scheduled to begin.
 9             (4)  Provide notified  customers  with  a  toll-free
10        telephone   number   to  call  regarding  the  vegetation
11        management activities.
12        (b)  A public utility shall not  be  required  to  comply
13    with  the  requirements  of  paragraphs  (2), (3), and (4) of
14    subsection (a) when (i)  it  is  taking  actions  to  restore
15    reliable  service  after interruptions of service; (ii) there
16    is a franchise, contract, or written  agreement  between  the
17    public   utility  and  the  municipality  mandating  specific
18    vegetation management practices; or (iii) there is  a  mutual
19    agreement  between  the municipality or county and the public
20    utility to waive the requirements of paragraph (2),  (3),  or
21    (4) of subsection (a), to the extent of the waiver agreement.
22    The  Commission  shall have sole authority to investigate and
23    issue complaints against the utility under this Section.  The
24    provisions of this Section shall not in any way  diminish  or
25    replace other civil or administrative remedies available to a
26    customer  or class of customers under this Act nor invalidate
27    any tariff approved by the Commission.
28        (c)  If  no  applicable  tariff  governing  non-emergency
29    vegetation management practices  has  been  approved  by  the
30    Commission   and   if  a  municipality  enacts  an  ordinance
31    establishing   standards   for    non-emergency    vegetation
32    management  practices  that  are  more  restrictive  than the
33    standards established by this Section,  the  electric  public
34    utility  may  recover  from  the  municipality the difference
 
                            -3-            LRB9110220JSpcam07
 1    between the costs of complying with the standards established
 2    under the municipality's ordinance and the costs of complying
 3    with the  standards  established  by  this  Section.   Before
 4    beginning  any non-emergency vegetation management activities
 5    in a municipality that has enacted an ordinance  establishing
 6    standards  for  vegetation management practices that are more
 7    restrictive than the standards established by  this  Section,
 8    an  electric public utility shall provide to the municipality
 9    a good faith estimate of the costs of complying with the more
10    restrictive municipal  standards  for  vegetation  management
11    practices.

12        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
13    becoming law.".

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