Full Text of SB2591 103rd General Assembly
SB2591 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024 SB2591 Introduced 10/18/2023, by Sen. Sue Rezin SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
| 220 ILCS 5/8-406 | from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 8-406 | 220 ILCS 5/8-406.3 new | |
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Amends the Public Utilities Act. Deletes language that provides that no construction shall commence on any new nuclear power plant to be located within the State, and no certificate of public convenience and necessity or other authorization shall be issued therefor by the Illinois Commerce Commission, until the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency finds that the United States Government has identified and approved a demonstrable technology or means for the disposal of high level nuclear waste, or until such construction has been specifically approved by a statute enacted by the General Assembly. Provides that the Commission shall only issue a certificate of public convenience and necessity to a public utility operating or located within the State or to a company with a fossil fuel-based power generator. Provides that the Commission shall adopt rules concerning the granting of certificates of public convenience and necessity for the construction, purchase, or lease of small modular nuclear reactors. Provides requirements for the Commission to follow when adopting rules for the granting of certificates of public convenience and necessity for small modular nuclear reactors. Provides that the Commission may adopt emergency rules for the granting of certificates of public convenience and necessity for small modular nuclear reactors.
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| | A BILL FOR |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning utilities.
| 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 8-406 and by adding Section 8-406.3 as follows: | 6 | | (220 ILCS 5/8-406) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 8-406) | 7 | | Sec. 8-406. Certificate of public convenience and | 8 | | necessity. | 9 | | (a) No public utility not owning any city or village
| 10 | | franchise nor engaged in performing any public service or in | 11 | | furnishing any
product or commodity within this State as of | 12 | | July 1, 1921 and not
possessing a certificate of
public | 13 | | convenience and necessity from the Illinois Commerce | 14 | | Commission,
the State Public Utilities Commission, or
the | 15 | | Public Utilities Commission, at the time Public Act 84-617 | 16 | | goes
into effect (January 1, 1986), shall transact any | 17 | | business in this State until it shall have
obtained a | 18 | | certificate from the Commission that public convenience and
| 19 | | necessity require the transaction of such business. A | 20 | | certificate of public convenience and necessity requiring the | 21 | | transaction of public utility business in any area of this | 22 | | State shall include authorization to the public utility | 23 | | receiving the certificate of public convenience and necessity |
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| 1 | | to construct such plant, equipment, property, or facility as | 2 | | is provided for under the terms and conditions of its tariff | 3 | | and as is necessary to provide utility service and carry out | 4 | | the transaction of public utility business by the public | 5 | | utility in the designated area. | 6 | | (b) No public utility shall begin the construction of any | 7 | | new plant,
equipment, property, or facility which is not in | 8 | | substitution of any
existing plant, equipment, property, or | 9 | | facility, or any extension or
alteration thereof or in | 10 | | addition thereto,
unless and until it shall have obtained from | 11 | | the
Commission a certificate that public convenience and | 12 | | necessity require such
construction. Whenever after a hearing | 13 | | the Commission determines that any
new construction or the | 14 | | transaction of any business by a public utility will
promote | 15 | | the public convenience and is necessary thereto, it shall have | 16 | | the
power to issue certificates of public convenience and | 17 | | necessity. The
Commission shall determine that proposed | 18 | | construction will promote the
public convenience and necessity | 19 | | only if the utility demonstrates: (1) that the
proposed | 20 | | construction is necessary to provide adequate, reliable, and
| 21 | | efficient service to its customers and is the
least-cost means | 22 | | of
satisfying the service needs of its customers or that the | 23 | | proposed construction will promote the development of an | 24 | | effectively competitive electricity market that operates | 25 | | efficiently, is equitable to all customers, and is the | 26 | | least-cost least cost means of satisfying those objectives;
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| 1 | | (2) that the utility is capable of efficiently managing and
| 2 | | supervising the construction process and has taken sufficient | 3 | | action to
ensure adequate and efficient construction and | 4 | | supervision thereof; and (3)
that the utility is capable of | 5 | | financing the proposed construction without
significant | 6 | | adverse financial consequences for the utility or its
| 7 | | customers. | 8 | | (b-5) As used in this subsection (b-5): | 9 | | "Qualifying direct current applicant" means an entity that | 10 | | seeks to provide direct current bulk transmission service for | 11 | | the purpose of transporting electric energy in interstate | 12 | | commerce. | 13 | | "Qualifying direct current project" means a high voltage | 14 | | direct current electric service line that crosses at least one | 15 | | Illinois border, the Illinois portion of which is physically | 16 | | located within the region of the Midcontinent Independent | 17 | | System Operator, Inc., or its successor organization, and runs | 18 | | through the counties of Pike, Scott, Greene, Macoupin, | 19 | | Montgomery, Christian, Shelby, Cumberland, and Clark, is | 20 | | capable of transmitting electricity at voltages of 345 | 21 | | kilovolts or above, and may also include associated | 22 | | interconnected alternating current interconnection facilities | 23 | | in this State that are part of the proposed project and | 24 | | reasonably necessary to connect the project with other | 25 | | portions of the grid. | 26 | | Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, a |
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| 1 | | qualifying direct current applicant that does not own, | 2 | | control, operate, or manage, within this State, any plant, | 3 | | equipment, or property used or to be used for the transmission | 4 | | of electricity at the time of its application or of the | 5 | | Commission's order may file an application on or before | 6 | | December 31, 2023 with the Commission pursuant to this Section | 7 | | or Section 8-406.1 for, and the Commission may grant, a | 8 | | certificate of public convenience and necessity to construct, | 9 | | operate, and maintain a qualifying direct current project. The | 10 | | qualifying direct current applicant may also include in the | 11 | | application requests for authority under Section 8-503. The | 12 | | Commission shall grant the application for a certificate of | 13 | | public convenience and necessity and requests for authority | 14 | | under Section 8-503 if it finds that the qualifying direct | 15 | | current applicant and the proposed qualifying direct current | 16 | | project satisfy the requirements of this subsection and | 17 | | otherwise satisfy the criteria of this Section or Section | 18 | | 8-406.1 and the criteria of Section 8-503, as applicable to | 19 | | the application and to the extent such criteria are not | 20 | | superseded by the provisions of this subsection. The | 21 | | Commission's order on the application for the certificate of | 22 | | public convenience and necessity shall also include the | 23 | | Commission's findings and determinations on the request or | 24 | | requests for authority pursuant to Section 8-503. Prior to | 25 | | filing its application under either this Section or Section | 26 | | 8-406.1, the qualifying direct current applicant shall conduct |
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| 1 | | 3 public meetings in accordance with subsection (h) of this | 2 | | Section. If the qualifying direct current applicant | 3 | | demonstrates in its application that the proposed qualifying | 4 | | direct current project is designed to deliver electricity to a | 5 | | point or points on the electric transmission grid in either or | 6 | | both the PJM Interconnection, LLC or the Midcontinent | 7 | | Independent System Operator, Inc., or their respective | 8 | | successor organizations, the proposed qualifying direct | 9 | | current project shall be deemed to be, and the Commission | 10 | | shall find it to be, for public use. If the qualifying direct | 11 | | current applicant further demonstrates in its application that | 12 | | the proposed transmission project has a capacity of 1,000 | 13 | | megawatts or larger and a voltage level of 345 kilovolts or | 14 | | greater, the proposed transmission project shall be deemed to | 15 | | satisfy, and the Commission shall find that it satisfies, the | 16 | | criteria stated in item (1) of subsection (b) of this Section | 17 | | or in paragraph (1) of subsection (f) of Section 8-406.1, as | 18 | | applicable to the application, without the taking of | 19 | | additional evidence on these criteria. Prior to the transfer | 20 | | of functional control of any transmission assets to a regional | 21 | | transmission organization, a qualifying direct current | 22 | | applicant shall request Commission approval to join a regional | 23 | | transmission organization in an application filed pursuant to | 24 | | this subsection (b-5) or separately pursuant to Section 7-102 | 25 | | of this Act. The Commission may grant permission to a | 26 | | qualifying direct current applicant to join a regional |
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| 1 | | transmission organization if it finds that the membership, and | 2 | | associated transfer of functional control of transmission | 3 | | assets, benefits Illinois customers in light of the attendant | 4 | | costs and is otherwise in the public interest. Nothing in this | 5 | | subsection (b-5) requires a qualifying direct current | 6 | | applicant to join a regional transmission organization. | 7 | | Nothing in this subsection (b-5) requires the owner or | 8 | | operator of a high voltage direct current transmission line | 9 | | that is not a qualifying direct current project to obtain a | 10 | | certificate of public convenience and necessity to the extent | 11 | | it is not otherwise required by this Section 8-406 or any other | 12 | | provision of this Act. | 13 | | (c) (Blank). After September 11, 1987 (the effective date | 14 | | of Public Act 85-377), no
construction shall commence on any | 15 | | new nuclear
power plant to be located within this State, and no | 16 | | certificate of public
convenience and necessity or other | 17 | | authorization shall be issued therefor
by the Commission, | 18 | | until the Director of the Illinois Environmental
Protection | 19 | | Agency finds that the United States Government, through its
| 20 | | authorized agency, has identified and approved a demonstrable | 21 | | technology or
means for the disposal of high level nuclear | 22 | | waste, or until such
construction has been specifically | 23 | | approved by a statute enacted by the General
Assembly. | 24 | | As used in this Section, "high level nuclear waste" means | 25 | | those aqueous
wastes resulting from the operation of the first | 26 | | cycle of the solvent
extraction system or equivalent and the |
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| 1 | | concentrated wastes of the
subsequent extraction cycles or | 2 | | equivalent in a facility for reprocessing
irradiated reactor | 3 | | fuel and shall include spent fuel assemblies prior to
fuel | 4 | | reprocessing. | 5 | | (d) In making its determination under subsection (b) of | 6 | | this Section, the Commission shall attach primary
weight to | 7 | | the cost or cost savings to the customers of the utility. The
| 8 | | Commission may consider any or all factors which will or may | 9 | | affect such
cost or cost savings, including the public | 10 | | utility's engineering judgment regarding the materials used | 11 | | for construction. | 12 | | (e) The Commission may issue a temporary certificate which | 13 | | shall remain
in force not to exceed one year in cases of | 14 | | emergency, to assure maintenance
of adequate service or to | 15 | | serve particular customers, without notice or
hearing, pending | 16 | | the determination of an application for a certificate, and
may | 17 | | by regulation exempt from the requirements of this Section | 18 | | temporary
acts or operations for which the issuance of a | 19 | | certificate will not be
required in the public interest. | 20 | | A public utility shall not be required to obtain but may | 21 | | apply for and
obtain a certificate of public convenience and | 22 | | necessity pursuant to this
Section with respect to any matter | 23 | | as to which it has received the
authorization or order of the | 24 | | Commission under the Electric Supplier Act,
and any such | 25 | | authorization or order granted a public utility by the
| 26 | | Commission under that Act shall as between public utilities be |
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| 1 | | deemed to
be, and shall have except as provided in that Act the | 2 | | same force and effect
as, a certificate of public convenience | 3 | | and necessity issued pursuant to this
Section. | 4 | | No electric cooperative shall be made or shall become a | 5 | | party to or shall
be entitled to be heard or to otherwise | 6 | | appear or participate in any
proceeding initiated under this | 7 | | Section for authorization of power plant
construction and as | 8 | | to matters as to which a remedy is available under the
Electric | 9 | | Supplier Act. | 10 | | (f) Such certificates may be altered or modified by the | 11 | | Commission, upon
its own motion or upon application by the | 12 | | person or corporation affected.
Unless exercised within a | 13 | | period of 2 years from the grant thereof,
authority conferred | 14 | | by a certificate of convenience and necessity issued by
the | 15 | | Commission shall be null and void. | 16 | | No certificate of public convenience and necessity shall | 17 | | be construed as
granting a monopoly or an exclusive privilege, | 18 | | immunity , or franchise. | 19 | | (g) A public utility that undertakes any of the actions | 20 | | described in items (1) through (3) of this subsection (g) or | 21 | | that has obtained approval pursuant to Section 8-406.1 of this | 22 | | Act shall not be required to comply with the requirements of | 23 | | this Section to the extent such requirements otherwise would | 24 | | apply. For purposes of this Section and Section 8-406.1 of | 25 | | this Act, "high voltage electric service line" means an | 26 | | electric line having a design voltage of 100,000 or more. For |
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| 1 | | purposes of this subsection (g), a public utility may do any of | 2 | | the following: | 3 | | (1) replace or upgrade any existing high voltage | 4 | | electric service line and related facilities, | 5 | | notwithstanding its length; | 6 | | (2) relocate any existing high voltage electric | 7 | | service line and related facilities, notwithstanding its | 8 | | length, to accommodate construction or expansion of a | 9 | | roadway or other transportation infrastructure; or | 10 | | (3) construct a high voltage electric service line and | 11 | | related facilities that is constructed solely to serve a | 12 | | single customer's premises or to provide a generator | 13 | | interconnection to the public utility's transmission | 14 | | system and that will pass under or over the premises owned | 15 | | by the customer or generator to be served or under or over | 16 | | premises for which the customer or generator has secured | 17 | | the necessary right of way. | 18 | | (h) A public utility seeking to construct a high-voltage | 19 | | electric service line and related facilities (Project) must | 20 | | show that the utility has held a minimum of 2 pre-filing public | 21 | | meetings to receive public comment concerning the Project in | 22 | | each county where the Project is to be located, no earlier than | 23 | | 6 months prior to filing an application for a certificate of | 24 | | public convenience and necessity from the Commission. Notice | 25 | | of the public meeting shall be published in a newspaper of | 26 | | general circulation within the affected county once a week for |
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| 1 | | 3 consecutive weeks, beginning no earlier than one month prior | 2 | | to the first public meeting. If the Project traverses 2 | 3 | | contiguous counties and where in one county the transmission | 4 | | line mileage and number of landowners over whose property the | 5 | | proposed route traverses is one-fifth or less of the | 6 | | transmission line mileage and number of such landowners of the | 7 | | other county, then the utility may combine the 2 pre-filing | 8 | | meetings in the county with the greater transmission line | 9 | | mileage and affected landowners. All other requirements | 10 | | regarding pre-filing meetings shall apply in both counties. | 11 | | Notice of the public meeting, including a description of the | 12 | | Project, must be provided in writing to the clerk of each | 13 | | county where the Project is to be located. A representative of | 14 | | the Commission shall be invited to each pre-filing public | 15 | | meeting. | 16 | | (i) For applications filed after August 18, 2015 (the | 17 | | effective date of Public Act 99-399), the Commission shall, by | 18 | | certified mail, notify each owner of record of land, as | 19 | | identified in the records of the relevant county tax assessor, | 20 | | included in the right-of-way over which the utility seeks in | 21 | | its application to construct a high-voltage electric line of | 22 | | the time and place scheduled for the initial hearing on the | 23 | | public utility's application. The utility shall reimburse the | 24 | | Commission for the cost of the postage and supplies incurred | 25 | | for mailing the notice. | 26 | | (j) The Commission shall only issue a certificate of |
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| 1 | | public convenience and necessity under this Section to a | 2 | | public utility operating or located within the State or to a | 3 | | company with a fossil fuel-based power generator. | 4 | | (Source: P.A. 102-609, eff. 8-27-21; 102-662, eff. 9-15-21; | 5 | | 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-931, eff. 5-27-22.) | 6 | | (220 ILCS 5/8-406.3 new) | 7 | | Sec. 8-406.3. Certificate of public convenience and | 8 | | necessity; small modular nuclear reactor. | 9 | | (a) As used this Section, "small modular nuclear reactor" | 10 | | means a nuclear reactor that: | 11 | | (1) has a rated electric generating capacity of not | 12 | | more than 350 megawatts; | 13 | | (2) is capable of being constructed and operated, | 14 | | either alone or in combination with one or more similar | 15 | | reactors if additional reactors are, or become, necessary | 16 | | at a single site; and | 17 | | (3) is required to be licensed by the United States | 18 | | Nuclear Regulatory Commission. | 19 | | "Small modular nuclear reactor" includes a nuclear reactor | 20 | | that is described in this subsection and that uses a process to | 21 | | produce hydrogen that can be used for energy storage, as a | 22 | | fuel, or for other uses. | 23 | | (b) No later than July 1, 2024, the Commission shall adopt | 24 | | rules concerning the granting of certificates of public | 25 | | convenience and necessity under this Section for the |
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| 1 | | construction, purchase, or lease of small modular nuclear | 2 | | reactors: | 3 | | (1) in this State for the generation of electricity to | 4 | | be directly or indirectly used to furnish public utility | 5 | | service to customers in this State; or | 6 | | (2) at the site of nuclear energy production or | 7 | | generation facility that supplies electricity to retail | 8 | | customers in this State. | 9 | | (c) Rules adopted by the Commission under this Section | 10 | | must provide for the following: | 11 | | (1) that in acting on a public utility's petition for | 12 | | the construction, purchase, or lease of one or more small | 13 | | modular nuclear reactors, as described in subsection (b), | 14 | | the Commission shall consider the following: | 15 | | (A) whether, and to what extent, the one or more | 16 | | small modular nuclear reactors proposed by the public | 17 | | utility will replace a loss of generating capacity in | 18 | | the public utility's portfolio resulting from the | 19 | | retirement or planned retirement of one or more of the | 20 | | public utility's existing electric generating | 21 | | facilities that: | 22 | | (i) are located in this State; and | 23 | | (ii) use coal or natural gas as a fuel source; | 24 | | and | 25 | | (B) whether one or more of the small modular | 26 | | nuclear reactors that will replace an existing |
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| 1 | | facility will be located on the same site as or near | 2 | | the existing facility and, if so, potential | 3 | | opportunities for the public utility to: | 4 | | (i) make use of any land and existing | 5 | | infrastructure or facilities already owned or | 6 | | under the control of the public utility; or | 7 | | (ii) create new employment opportunities for | 8 | | workers who have been, or would be, displaced as a | 9 | | result of the retirement of the existing facility; | 10 | | (2) that the Commission may grant a certificate under | 11 | | this Section under circumstances and for locations other | 12 | | than those described in paragraph (1); | 13 | | (3) that the Commission may not grant a certificate | 14 | | under this Section unless the owner or operator of a | 15 | | proposed small modular nuclear reactor provides evidence | 16 | | of a plan to apply for all licenses or permits to construct | 17 | | or operate the proposed small modular nuclear reactor as | 18 | | may be required by: | 19 | | (A) the United States Nuclear Regulatory | 20 | | Commission; | 21 | | (B) the Department of Natural Resources or the | 22 | | Environmental Protection Agency; or | 23 | | (C) any other relevant State or federal regulatory | 24 | | agency with jurisdiction over the construction or | 25 | | operation of nuclear generating facilities; | 26 | | (4) that any reports, notices of violations, or other |
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| 1 | | notifications sent to or from the United States Nuclear | 2 | | Regulatory Commission by or to the owner or operator of a | 3 | | proposed small nuclear reactor must be submitted by the | 4 | | owner or operator to the Commission within such time as | 5 | | prescribed by the Commission, subject to the Commission's | 6 | | duty to treat as confidential and protect from public | 7 | | access and disclosure any information that is contained in | 8 | | a report or notice and that is considered confidential or | 9 | | exempt from public access and disclosure under State or | 10 | | federal law; and | 11 | | (5) that any person that owns or operates a small | 12 | | modular nuclear reactor in this State may not store spent | 13 | | nuclear fuel as defined in the Illinois Nuclear Safety | 14 | | Preparedness Act or high level radioactive waste as also | 15 | | defined in that Act from the small modular nuclear reactor | 16 | | on the site of the small modular nuclear reactor without | 17 | | first meeting all applicable requirements of the United | 18 | | States Regulatory Commission. | 19 | | (d) In adopting the rules required by this Section, the | 20 | | Commission may adopt emergency rules in the State. | 21 | | (e) This Section shall not be construed to affect the | 22 | | authority of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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