Sen. Sue Rezin

Filed: 3/18/2015

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1446

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1446 as follow:
 
3on page 1, by replacing line 5 with "Sections 16-115 and 19-110
4as follows:"; and
 
5by replacing line 12 on page 11 through line 1 on page 12 with:
6"to the Commission, it must (1) file with the Commission
7contemporaneously with its report, filing, or document an
8affidavit that sets forth both the reasons for the
9confidentiality and a public synopsis of the information for
10which confidential treatment is sought; and (2) file both a
11"confidential" and a "public" version of the report, filing, or
12document for which it seeks confidential treatment with all
13confidential information marked "Confidential". Absent notice
14from the Commission to the alternative retail electric supplier
15to the contrary, and provided the alternative retail electric
16supplier has followed the requirements outlined in this

 

 

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1subsection (g), information identified as confidential by the
2alternative retail electric supplier shall be afforded
3proprietary treatment for a 2-year period from the date of
4submission to the Commission. The public version of the report,
5filing, or document shall be made available to the public upon
6request, subject to a case-by-case determination by the
7Commission."; and
 
8on page 12, immediately below line 13, by inserting:
 
9    "(220 ILCS 5/19-110)
10    Sec. 19-110. Certification of alternative gas suppliers.
11    (a) The provisions of this Section shall apply only to
12alternative gas suppliers serving or seeking to serve
13residential or small commercial customers and only to the
14extent such alternative gas suppliers provide services to
15residential or small commercial customers.
16    (b) An alternative gas supplier must obtain a certificate
17of service authority from the Commission in accordance with
18this Section before serving any customer or other user located
19in this State. An alternative gas supplier may request, and the
20Commission may grant, a certificate of service authority for
21the entire State or for a specified geographic area of the
22State. A person, corporation, or other entity acting as an
23alternative gas supplier on the effective date of this
24amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly shall have 180 days

 

 

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1from the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd
2General Assembly to comply with the requirements of this
3Section in order to continue to operate as an alternative gas
4supplier.
5    (c) An alternative gas supplier seeking a certificate of
6service authority shall file with the Commission a verified
7application containing information showing that the applicant
8meets the requirements of this Section. The alternative gas
9supplier shall publish notice of its application in the
10official State newspaper within 10 days following the date of
11its filing. No later than 45 days after the application is
12properly filed with the Commission, and such notice is
13published, the Commission shall issue its order granting or
14denying the application.
15    (d) An application for a certificate of service authority
16shall identify the area or areas in which the applicant intends
17to offer service and the types of services it intends to offer.
18Applicants that seek to serve residential or small commercial
19customers within a geographic area that is smaller than a gas
20utility's service area shall submit evidence demonstrating
21that the designation of this smaller area does not violate
22Section 19-115. An applicant may state in its application for
23certification any limitations that will be imposed on the
24number of customers or maximum load to be served. The applicant
25shall submit as part of its application a statement indicating:
26        (1) Whether the applicant has been denied a natural gas

 

 

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1    supplier license in any state in the United States.
2        (2) Whether the applicant has had a natural gas
3    supplier license suspended or revoked by any state in the
4    United States.
5        (3) Where, if any, other natural gas supplier license
6    applications are pending in the United States.
7        (4) Whether the applicant is the subject of any
8    lawsuits filed in a court of law or formal complaints filed
9    with a regulatory agency alleging fraud, deception or
10    unfair marketing practices, or other similar allegations,
11    identifying the name, case number, and jurisdiction of each
12    such lawsuit or complaint.
13    For the purposes of this subsection (d), formal complaints
14include only those complaints that seek a binding determination
15from a state or federal regulatory body.
16    (e) The Commission shall grant the application for a
17certificate of service authority if it makes the findings set
18forth in this subsection based on the verified application and
19such other information as the applicant may submit.
20        (1) That the applicant possesses sufficient technical,
21    financial, and managerial resources and abilities to
22    provide the service for which it seeks a certificate of
23    service authority. In determining the level of technical,
24    financial, and managerial resources and abilities which
25    the applicant must demonstrate, the Commission shall
26    consider:

 

 

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1            (A) the characteristics, including the size and
2        financial sophistication of the customers that the
3        applicant seeks to serve;
4            (B) whether the applicant seeks to provide gas
5        using property, plant, and equipment that it owns,
6        controls, or operates; and
7            (C) the applicant's commitment of resources to the
8        management of sales and marketing staff, through
9        affirmative managerial policies, independent audits,
10        technology, hands-on field monitoring and training,
11        and, in the case of applicants who will have sales
12        personnel or sales agents within the State of Illinois,
13        the applicant's managerial presence within the State.
14        (2) That the applicant will comply with all applicable
15    federal, State, regional, and industry rules, policies,
16    practices, and procedures for the use, operation, and
17    maintenance of the safety, integrity, and reliability of
18    the gas transmission system.
19        (3) That the applicant will comply with such
20    informational or reporting requirements as the Commission
21    may by rule establish.
22        (4) That the area to be served by the applicant and any
23    limitations it proposes on the number of customers or
24    maximum amount of load to be served meet the provisions of
25    Section 19-115, provided, that if the applicant seeks to
26    serve an area smaller than the service area of a gas

 

 

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1    utility or proposes other limitations on the number of
2    customers or maximum amount of load to be served, the
3    Commission can extend the time for considering such a
4    certificate request by up to 90 days, and can schedule
5    hearings on such a request.
6        (5) That the applicant and the applicant's sales agents
7    will comply with all other applicable laws and rules.
8    (f) The Commission can extend the time for considering such
9a certificate request by up to 90 days, and can schedule
10hearings on such a request if:
11        (1) a party to the application proceeding has formally
12    requested that the Commission hold hearings in a pleading
13    that alleges that one or more of the allegations or
14    certifications in the application is false or misleading;
15    or
16        (2) other facts or circumstances exist that will
17    necessitate additional time or evidence in order to
18    determine whether a certificate should be issued.
19    (g) The Commission shall have the authority to promulgate
20rules to carry out the provisions of this Section. Within 30
21days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
2292nd General Assembly, the Commission shall adopt an emergency
23rule or rules applicable to the certification of those gas
24suppliers that seek to serve residential customers. Within 180
25days of the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd
26General Assembly, the Commission shall adopt rules that specify

 

 

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1criteria which, if met by any such alternative gas supplier,
2shall constitute the demonstration of technical, financial,
3and managerial resources and abilities to provide service
4required by item (1) of subsection (e) of this Section, such as
5a requirement to post a bond or letter of credit, from a
6responsible surety or financial institution, of sufficient
7size for the nature and scope of the services to be provided,
8demonstration of adequate insurance for the scope and nature of
9the services to be provided, and experience in providing
10similar services in other jurisdictions.
11    (h) The Commission may deny with prejudice any application
12that repeatedly fails to include the attachments,
13documentation, and affidavits required by the application form
14or that repeatedly fails to provide any other information
15required by this Section.
16    (i) In order to make more efficient use of the Commission's
17resources, as well as the resources of alternative gas
18suppliers, with regard to annual continuing compliance reports
19filed pursuant to 83 Ill. Adm. Code 551.120 and annual
20dekatherm reports filed pursuant to 83 Ill. Adm. Code 551.170,
21alternative gas suppliers may file commercially or financially
22sensitive information or trade secrets contained in any such
23report or filing with the Commission without also filing a
24formal petition with the Chief Clerk of the Commission seeking
25a Commission order granting confidential treatment. If an
26alternative gas supplier elects not to file a formal petition

 

 

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1with the Chief Clerk of the Commission seeking a Commission
2order, but still desires confidential treatment for the
3commercially or financially sensitive information or trade
4secrets submitted to the Commission, it must (1) file with the
5Commission contemporaneously with its report, filing, or
6document, an affidavit that sets forth both the reasons for the
7confidentiality and a public synopsis of the information for
8which confidential treatment is sought and (2) file both a
9"confidential" and a "public" version of the report, filing, or
10document for which it seeks confidential treatment with all
11confidential information marked "Confidential". Absent notice
12from the Commission to the alternative gas supplier to the
13contrary, and provided the alternative gas supplier has
14followed the requirements outlined in this subsection (i),
15information identified as confidential by the alternative gas
16supplier shall be afforded proprietary treatment for a 2-year
17period from the date of submission to the Commission. The
18public version of the report, filing, or document shall be made
19available to the public upon request, subject to a case-by-case
20determination by the Commission. Nothing in this subsection (i)
21prevents the Commission (A) on its own motion, after reviewing
22the submittal of an alternative gas supplier pursuant to this
23subsection (i), from requiring the alternative gas supplier to
24file a formal petition with the Chief Clerk seeking
25confidential treatment; (B) from entering an order expanding
26the list of recurring reports or filings eligible for

 

 

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1confidential treatment set forth in this subsection (i); or (C)
2from entering an order adjusting the time period information
3may be treated by the Commission as confidential.
4(Source: P.A. 95-1051, eff. 4-10-09.)
 
5    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
6becoming law.".