95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB1944

 

Introduced 2/23/2007, by Rep. Carolyn H. Krause

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
220 ILCS 5/16-111.1

    Amends the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 in the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the trustees of the Illinois Clean Energy Community Trust shall distribute up to $2,000,000 each calendar year to applicants and programs that promote or implement energy efficiency or conservation programs in the State for 3 calendar years after the effective date. Provides that the trustees shall adopt rules necessary for implementation of the provisions. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB1944 LRB095 09706 MJR 29910 b

1     AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing
5 Section 16-111.1 as follows:
 
6     (220 ILCS 5/16-111.1)
7     Sec. 16-111.1. Illinois Clean Energy Community Trust.
8     (a) An electric utility which has sold or transferred
9 generating facilities in a transaction to which subsection (k)
10 of Section 16-111 applies is authorized to establish an
11 Illinois clean energy community trust or foundation for the
12 purposes of providing financial support and assistance to
13 entities, public or private, within the State of Illinois
14 including, but not limited to, units of State and local
15 government, educational institutions, corporations, and
16 charitable, educational, environmental and community
17 organizations, for programs and projects that benefit the
18 public by improving energy efficiency, developing renewable
19 energy resources, supporting other energy related projects
20 that improve the State's environmental quality, and supporting
21 projects and programs intended to preserve or enhance the
22 natural habitats and wildlife areas of the State. Provided,
23 however, that the trust or foundation funds shall not be used

 

 

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1 for the remediation of environmentally impaired property. The
2 trust or foundation may also assist in identifying other energy
3 and environmental grant opportunities.
4     (b) Such trust or foundation shall be governed by a
5 declaration of trust or articles of incorporation and bylaws
6 which shall, at a minimum, provide that:
7         (1) There shall be 6 voting trustees of the trust or
8     foundation, one of whom shall be appointed by the Governor,
9     one of whom shall be appointed by the President of the
10     Illinois Senate, one of whom shall be appointed by the
11     Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate, one of whom shall
12     be appointed by the Speaker of the Illinois House of
13     Representatives, one of whom shall be appointed by the
14     Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives,
15     and one of whom shall be appointed by the electric utility
16     establishing the trust or foundation, provided that the
17     voting trustee appointed by the utility shall be a
18     representative of a recognized environmental action group
19     selected by the utility. The Governor shall designate one
20     of the 6 voting trustees to serve as chairman of the trust
21     or foundation, who shall serve as chairman of the trust or
22     foundation at the pleasure of the Governor. In addition,
23     there shall be 4 non-voting trustees, one of whom shall be
24     appointed by the Director of Commerce and Economic
25     Opportunity, one of whom shall be appointed by the Director
26     of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, one of

 

 

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1     whom shall be appointed by the Director of Natural
2     Resources, and one of whom shall be appointed by the
3     electric utility establishing the trust or foundation,
4     provided that the non-voting trustee appointed by the
5     utility shall bring financial expertise to the trust or
6     foundation and shall have appropriate credentials
7     therefor.
8         (2) All voting trustees and the non-voting trustee with
9     financial expertise shall be entitled to compensation for
10     their services as trustees, provided, however, that no
11     member of the General Assembly and no employee of the
12     electric utility establishing the trust or foundation
13     serving as a voting trustee shall receive any compensation
14     for his or her services as a trustee, and provided further
15     that the compensation to the chairman of the trust shall
16     not exceed $25,000 annually and the compensation to any
17     other trustee shall not exceed $20,000 annually. All
18     trustees shall be entitled to reimbursement for reasonable
19     expenses incurred on behalf of the trust in the performance
20     of their duties as trustees. All such compensation and
21     reimbursements shall be paid out of the trust.
22         (3) Trustees shall be appointed within 30 days after
23     the creation of the trust or foundation and shall serve for
24     a term of 5 years commencing upon the date of their
25     respective appointments, until their respective successors
26     are appointed and qualified.

 

 

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1         (4) A vacancy in the office of trustee shall be filled
2     by the person holding the office responsible for appointing
3     the trustee whose death or resignation creates the vacancy,
4     and a trustee appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve the
5     remainder of the term of the trustee whose resignation or
6     death created the vacancy.
7         (5) The trust or foundation shall have an indefinite
8     term, and shall terminate at such time as no trust assets
9     remain.
10         (6) The trust or foundation shall be funded in the
11     minimum amount of $250,000,000, with the allocation and
12     disbursement of funds for the various purposes for which
13     the trust or foundation is established to be determined by
14     the trustees in accordance with the declaration of trust or
15     the articles of incorporation and bylaws; provided,
16     however, that this amount may be reduced by up to
17     $25,000,000 if, at the time the trust or foundation is
18     funded, a corresponding amount is contributed by the
19     electric utility establishing the trust or foundation to
20     the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University for
21     the purpose of funding programs or projects related to
22     clean coal and provided further that $25,000,000 of the
23     amount contributed to the trust or foundation shall be
24     available to fund programs or projects related to clean
25     coal.
26         (7) The trust or foundation shall be authorized to

 

 

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1     employ an executive director and other employees, to enter
2     into leases, contracts and other obligations on behalf of
3     the trust or foundation, and to incur expenses that the
4     trustees deem necessary or appropriate for the fulfillment
5     of the purposes for which the trust or foundation is
6     established, provided, however, that salaries and
7     administrative expenses incurred on behalf of the trust or
8     foundation shall not exceed $500,000 in the first fiscal
9     year after the trust or foundation is established and shall
10     not exceed $1,000,000 in each subsequent fiscal year.
11         (8) The trustees may create and appoint advisory boards
12     or committees to assist them with the administration of the
13     trust or foundation, and to advise and make recommendations
14     to them regarding the contribution and disbursement of the
15     trust or foundation funds.
16     (c)(1) In addition to the allocation and disbursement of
17     funds for the purposes set forth in subsection (a) of this
18     Section, the trustees of the trust or foundation shall
19     annually contribute funds in amounts set forth in
20     subparagraph (2) of this subsection to the Citizens Utility
21     Board created by the Citizens Utility Board Act; provided,
22     however, that any such funds shall be used solely for the
23     representation of the interests of utility consumers
24     before the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Federal
25     Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Federal
26     Communications Commission and for the provision of

 

 

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1     consumer education on utility service and prices and on
2     benefits and methods of energy conservation. Provided,
3     however, that no part of such funds shall be used to
4     support (i) any lobbying activity, (ii) activities related
5     to fundraising, (iii) advertising or other marketing
6     efforts regarding a particular utility, or (iv)
7     solicitation of support for, or advocacy of, a particular
8     position regarding any specific utility or a utility's
9     docketed proceeding.
10         (2) In the calendar year in which the trust or
11     foundation is first funded, the trustees shall contribute
12     $1,000,000 to the Citizens Utility Board within 60 days
13     after such trust or foundation is established; provided,
14     however, that such contribution shall be made after
15     December 31, 1999. In each of the 6 calendar years
16     subsequent to the first contribution, if the trust or
17     foundation is in existence, the trustees shall contribute
18     to the Citizens Utility Board an amount equal to the total
19     expenditures by such organization in the prior calendar
20     year, as set forth in the report filed by the Citizens
21     Utility Board with the chairman of such trust or foundation
22     as required by subparagraph (3) of this subsection. Such
23     subsequent contributions shall be made within 30 days of
24     submission by the Citizens Utility Board of such report to
25     the Chairman of the trust or foundation, but in no event
26     shall any annual contribution by the trustees to the

 

 

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1     Citizens Utility Board exceed $1,000,000. Following such
2     7-year period, an Illinois statutory consumer protection
3     agency may petition the trust or foundation for
4     contributions to fund expenditures of the type identified
5     in paragraph (1), but in no event shall annual
6     contributions by the trust or foundation for such
7     expenditures exceed $1,000,000.
8         (3) The Citizens Utility Board shall file a report with
9     the chairman of such trust or foundation for each year in
10     which it expends any funds received from the trust or
11     foundation setting forth the amount of any expenditures
12     (regardless of the source of funds for such expenditures)
13     for: (i) the representation of the interests of utility
14     consumers before the Illinois Commerce Commission, the
15     Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Federal
16     Communications Commission, and (ii) the provision of
17     consumer education on utility service and prices and on
18     benefits and methods of energy conservation. Such report
19     shall separately state the total amount of expenditures for
20     the purposes or activities identified by items (i) and (ii)
21     of this paragraph, the name and address of the external
22     recipient of any such expenditure, if applicable, and the
23     specific purposes or activities (including internal
24     purposes or activities) for which each expenditure was
25     made. Any report required by this subsection shall be filed
26     with the chairman of such trust or foundation no later than

 

 

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1     March 31 of the year immediately following the year for
2     which the report is required.
3     (d) In addition to any other allocation and disbursement of
4 funds in this Section, the trustees of the trust or foundation
5 shall contribute an amount up to $125,000,000 (1) for deposit
6 into the General Obligation Bond Retirement and Interest Fund
7 held in the State treasury to assist in the repayment on
8 general obligation bonds issued under subsection (d) of Section
9 7 of the General Obligation Bond Act, and (2) for deposit into
10 funds administered by agencies with responsibility for
11 environmental activities to assist in payment for
12 environmental programs. The amount required to be contributed
13 shall be provided to the trustees in a certification letter
14 from the Director of the Bureau of the Budget that shall be
15 provided no later than August 1, 2003. The payment from the
16 trustees shall be paid to the State no later than December 31st
17 following the receipt of the letter.
18     (d) The trustees shall distribute up to $2,000,000 each
19 calendar year to applicants and programs that promote or
20 implement energy efficiency or conservation programs in this
21 State for 3 calendar years after the effective date of this
22 amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly. The trustees shall
23 adopt rules necessary for implementation of this subsection
24 (d).
25 (Source: P.A. 93-32, eff. 6-20-03; 94-793, eff. 5-19-06.)
 
26     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon

 

 

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1 becoming law.