Rep. Ann M. Williams

Filed: 5/10/2023

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2875

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2875 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be referred to as the
5Thermal Energy Network and Jobs Act.
 
6    Section 5. Legislative findings and intent.
7    (a) The General Assembly finds and declares that:
8        (1) This State has a strong interest in ensuring that
9    emissions of greenhouse gases from buildings are reduced
10    because buildings are one of this State's largest sources
11    of greenhouse gases due to the combustion of fossil fuels
12    for heating, domestic hot water production, cooking, and
13    other end uses.
14        (2) The decarbonization of buildings must be pursued
15    in a manner that is affordable and accessible, preserves
16    and creates living-wage jobs, and retains the knowledge

 

 

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1    and experience of the existing utility union workforce.
2        (3) Thermal energy networks have the potential to
3    decarbonize buildings at the community and utility scale
4    and help achieve the goals of Public Act 102-662 (also
5    known as the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act).
6        (4) Thermal energy networks consist of pipe loops
7    between multiple buildings and energy sources, which carry
8    water and can be connected to by building owners to
9    support heating and cooling and hot water services.
10    Building owners can connect to the loops to support water
11    heating and cooling and hot water services.
12        (5) Many utilities in this State have been seeking to
13    develop thermal energy networks but have encountered legal
14    and regulatory barriers.
15        (6) This State has a strong interest in ensuring an
16    adequate supply of reliable electrical power and,
17    therefore, needs to promote the development of alternative
18    power sources and take steps to assure reliable
19    deliverability. Thermal energy networks are highly
20    efficient because they use and exchange thermal energy
21    from many underground sources and buildings, including
22    recycled thermal energy, which minimizes impacts on the
23    electricity grid.
24        (7) Access to thermal energy networks has the
25    potential to reduce the upfront and operating costs of
26    building electrification for customers.

 

 

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1        (8) A utility's access to capital, the utility's
2    experience with networked infrastructure in public
3    rights-of-way, and the requirement that the utility serve
4    all customers positions the utility well to develop and
5    scale thermal energy networks that are accessible to all
6    customers and to coordinate the development of thermal
7    energy networks with any orderly rightsizing of the
8    utility gas system.
9        (9) This State also has an interest in the efficient
10    and reliable delivery of energy and the energy
11    infrastructure of the State, which interest is
12    acknowledged throughout the Public Utilities Act. Utility
13    corporations and other power suppliers share these
14    interests and, moreover, have a duty to protect
15    proprietary interests in the projects they fund. Such
16    investments of ratepayer resources can be protected by
17    establishing effective contractor qualification and
18    performance standards, including requirements for
19    prevailing wage rates, bona fide apprenticeship criteria,
20    and project labor agreements.
21        (10) The construction industry is highly skilled and
22    labor intensive, and the installation of modern thermal
23    energy networks involves particularly complex work.
24    Therefore, effective qualification standards for craft
25    labor personnel employed on these projects are critically
26    needed to promote successful project delivery.

 

 

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1        (11) Finally, these findings are especially vital now
2    because the construction industry is experiencing
3    widespread skill shortages across the country, which are
4    crippling existing capital projects and threatening
5    projects planned for the future. The construction of
6    thermal energy networks will utilize many of the same
7    skills that the current utility and building trades
8    workforces already possess.
9    (b) It is the intent of the General Assembly that passage
10of this Act is for the following purposes:
11        (1) to remove the legal barriers to utility
12    development of thermal energy networks and require the
13    Illinois Commerce Commission, within 90 days after the
14    effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General
15    Assembly, to begin to authorize and direct utilities to
16    immediately commence piloting thermal energy networks in
17    each and every utility territory;
18        (2) to direct and authorize the Illinois Commerce
19    Commission to develop a regulatory structure for utility
20    thermal energy networks that scales affordable and
21    accessible building electrification, protects customers,
22    and balances the role of incumbent monopoly utilities with
23    other market and public actors;
24        (3) to promote the successful planning and delivery of
25    thermal energy networks and protect critical investments
26    in such projects by requiring the use of appropriate

 

 

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1    quality craft labor policies that ensure the development
2    of and access to an adequate supply of well trained,
3    highly skilled craft persons needed to support timely,
4    reliable, high-quality projects;
5        (4) to promote strong economic development and good
6    jobs for local residents in the expanding decarbonized
7    sector by requiring application of progressive State labor
8    and employment policies that ensure public utility
9    investments and related State subsidies create
10    unparalleled skill training and employment opportunities
11    for residents in project areas through the use of local
12    prevailing wage standards and successful, bona fide
13    apprenticeship programs or project labor agreements that
14    incorporate prevailing wage and training standards and
15    provide additional benefits for project owners and
16    workers; and
17        (5) to promote the use of preapprenticeship programs
18    that will fortify and expand existing apprenticeship
19    programs through systematic outreach efforts to recruit
20    and assist persons from underrepresented and low income
21    communities by providing such persons with remedial
22    education, social services, and unique opportunities for
23    direct access into high-quality apprenticeship programs
24    and gainful employment in the growing building
25    decarbonization workforce.
 

 

 

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1    Section 900. The Public Utilities Act is amended by
2changing Sections 3-101 and by adding Sections 3-127, 3-128,
3and 8-513 as follows:
 
4    (220 ILCS 5/3-101)  (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 3-101)
5    Sec. 3-101. Definitions. Unless otherwise specified, the
6terms set forth in Sections 3-102 through 3-128 3-126 are used
7in this Act as therein defined.
8(Source: P.A. 97-96, eff. 7-13-11; 97-239, eff. 8-2-11;
997-813, eff. 7-13-12.)
 
10    (220 ILCS 5/3-127 new)
11    Sec. 3-127. Thermal energy. "Thermal energy" means piped
12noncombustible fluids used for transferring heat into and out
13of buildings for the purpose of reducing any resultant onsite
14greenhouse gas emissions of all types of heating and cooling
15processes, including, but not limited to, comfort heating and
16cooling, domestic hot water, and refrigeration.
 
17    (220 ILCS 5/3-128 new)
18    Sec. 3-128. Thermal energy network. "Thermal energy
19network" means all real estate, fixtures, and personal
20property operated, owned, used, or to be used for, in
21connection with, or to facilitate a utility-scale distribution
22infrastructure project that supplies thermal energy.
 

 

 

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1    (220 ILCS 5/8-513 new)
2    Sec. 8-513. Pilot thermal energy network development.
3    (a) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall initiate a
4proceeding within 6 months after the effective date of this
5amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly to support the
6development of pilot thermal energy networks. The Commission
7shall consider matters in the proceeding, including, but not
8limited to, the appropriate ownership, market, and rate
9structures for pilot thermal energy networks and whether the
10provision of thermal energy services by thermal network energy
11providers is in the public interest.
12    (b) Within 12 months after the effective date of this
13amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly, any gas public
14utility, electric public utility, or combination public
15utility serving over 100,000 customers shall file with the
16Commission a petition seeking Commission approval of at least
17one and no more than 3 proposed pilot thermal energy network
18projects. Designs for the projects should coordinate and
19maximize the value of existing State energy efficiency and
20weatherization programs and take full advantage of federal
21funding opportunities. No later than 18 months after the
22effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General
23Assembly, the Commission shall enter an order approving,
24approving with modification, or rejecting each proposed pilot
25thermal energy network project and shall direct the public
26utility to implement the pilot thermal energy network projects

 

 

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1as approved or approved as modified. In considering whether to
2approve or approve as modified each pilot thermal energy
3network project, the Commission shall consider whether the
4pilot thermal energy network project is in the public
5interest, whether the pilot thermal energy network project
6will develop information useful for the Commission in adopting
7rules governing thermal energy networks, whether the pilot
8thermal energy network project furthers climate justice and
9emissions reduction, whether the pilot thermal energy network
10project advances financial and technical approaches to
11equitable and affordable building electrification, and whether
12the pilot thermal energy network project creates benefits to
13customers and society at large, including, but not limited to,
14public health benefits in areas with disproportionate
15environmental or public health burdens, job retention and
16creation, reliability, and increased affordability of
17renewable thermal energy options.
18    (c) If a utility proposes 3 pilot thermal energy network
19projects, at least one project shall be proposed in
20economically disadvantaged communities and at least one shall
21be focused on existing electric heat customers. Each public
22utility shall coordinate with other public utilities and
23consultants with expertise on successful pilot projects to
24ensure that the pilot projects are diverse and designed to
25inform the Commission's decisions in the proceeding on the
26various ownership, market, and rate structures for thermal

 

 

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1energy networks. The pilot project proposals shall be made
2publicly available on the Commission's website.
3    (d) Any gas public utility, electric public utility, or
4combination public utility constructing or operating a
5Commission-approved pilot thermal energy network project shall
6report to the Commission, on a quarterly basis and until
7completion of the pilot thermal energy network project, as
8determined by the Commission, the status of each pilot thermal
9energy network project. The Commission shall post and make
10publicly available the reports on its website. The report
11shall include, but not be limited to:
12        (1) the stage of development of each pilot project;
13        (2) the barriers to development;
14        (3) the number of customers served;
15        (4) the costs of the pilot project;
16        (5) the number of jobs retained or created by the
17    pilot project; and
18        (6) any other information the Commission deems to be
19    in the public interest or considers likely to prove useful
20    or relevant to the rulemaking described in subsection (h).
21    (e) Any gas public utility, electric public utility, or
22combination public utility constructing or operating a
23Commission-approved pilot thermal energy network project shall
24demonstrate that it has entered into a labor peace agreement
25with a bona fide labor organization that is actively engaged
26in representing its employees. The labor peace agreement shall

 

 

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1apply to the employees necessary for the ongoing maintenance
2and operation of the thermal energy network. The labor peace
3agreement shall be an ongoing material condition of
4authorization to maintain and operate the thermal energy
5networks.
6    (f) Any contractor or subcontractor that performs work on
7a pilot thermal energy network under this Section shall be a
8responsible bidder as described in Section 30-22 of the
9Illinois Procurement Code and shall certify that not less than
10prevailing wage, as determined under the Prevailing Wage Act,
11was or will be paid to employees who are engaged in
12construction activities associated with the pilot thermal
13energy network project. The contractor or subcontractor shall
14submit evidence to the Commission that it complied with the
15requirements of this subsection.
16    (g) For any pending application for a thermal energy
17network, the contractor or subcontractor shall submit evidence
18that the contractor or subcontractor has entered into a fully
19executed project labor agreement with the applicable local
20building trades council. The Commission shall not approve any
21pending applications until the contractor or subcontractor has
22submitted the information required under this subsection.
23    (h) Within 4 years after the completion of the
24construction of all thermal energy network projects under this
25Section, the Commission shall adopt rules to, at a minimum:
26        (1) create fair market access rules for thermal energy

 

 

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1    networks to accept thermal energy and that do not increase
2    greenhouse gas emissions or copollutants;
3        (2) to the extent it is in the public interest to do
4    so, exempt small-scale thermal energy networks from active
5    regulation by the Commission;
6        (3) promote the training and transition of utility
7    workers impacted by this amendatory Act of the 103rd
8    General Assembly; and
9        (4) encourage third-party participation and
10    competition where it will maximize benefits to customers.
11    (i) A gas public utility, electric public utility, or
12combination public utility required to develop any pilot
13thermal energy network project under this Section shall be
14permitted to recover all reasonable and prudently incurred
15costs associated with the development, construction, and
16operation of one or more pilot thermal energy network projects
17through general rates set pursuant to Section 9-201 or through
18rates set in a Multi-Year Rate Plan pursuant to Section
1916-108.18.
 
20    Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
21becoming law.".