HB6202ham001 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Renewable Energy Committee

Filed: 3/11/2010

09600HB6202ham001 LRB096 18131 MJR 38643 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 6202

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 6202 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by adding Section 16-107.7 as follows:

(220 ILCS 5/16-107.7 new)

Sec. 16-107.7. Net Metering Task Force.

(a) The General Assembly finds and declares all of the following:

(1) In Public Act 95-420, the General Assembly found and declared that a program to provide net electricity metering can (i) encourage private investment in renewable energy resources, (ii) stimulate economic growth, (iii) enhance the continued diversification in Illinois' energy resource mix, and (iv) protect the Illinois environment.

(2) The General Assembly restates and affirms these principles, but finds that net metering in Illinois has been slow to develop and is primarily utilized by customers operating eligible systems with a nameplate rating of 40 kilowatts and below.

(3) The Illinois net metering program provides retail rate net metering for systems with a nameplate rating of 40 kilowatts and below. Thirty-six other states have net metering programs in which systems with nameplate ratings larger than 40 kilowatts are eligible. Eighteen of these states have net metering programs in which systems of 1,000 kilowatts or higher are eligible.

(4) States that have expanded net metering to cover systems above 40 kilowatts have experienced more significant capital investment and a higher rate of growth in renewable energy jobs than Illinois.

(5) The General Assembly finds that it is in the public's best interest to establish a task force to evaluate net metering programs experiences in other states, examine the barriers to net metering development in Illinois, and recommend changes to the statutes concerning Illinois net metering.

(b) The General Assembly establishes the Net Metering Task Force comprised of 10 members to be appointed no later than July 1, 2010 in the following manner:

(1) one member appointed by the President of the Senate;

(2) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;

(3) one member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(4) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives;

(5) one member appointed by the Attorney General; and

(6) 5 members appointed by the Governor including one representative from the Office of the Governor, one representative from the Illinois Commerce Commission, one representative from the Citizens Utility Board, one representative from the environmental community, and one representative from the electric utilities.

The Governor shall name a chairperson from among the Task Force appointees.

(c) No later than January 1, 2011, the Task Force shall submit a report to the General Assembly recommending legislative and programmatic changes to the existing net metering law that shall be necessary to overcome existing barriers to net metering development in this State.

(d) The Task Force report shall include, at a minimum, discussion of the following topics:

(1) net metering policies and experiences from other states;

(2) the effects associated with expanded net metering development in Illinois, including its impact on renewable and diversified energy development, economic development, job growth, peak electricity consumption, grid operation and maintenance, and the environment;

(3) any existing barriers to net metering development in Illinois;

(4) legislation, policies, and other best practices that could overcome any existing barriers to net metering development in Illinois;

(5) the overall costs and rate impacts, if any, associated with implementing these policies, including taking into account the associated benefits of net metering development in Illinois; and

(6) specific recommendations for amending Illinois' net metering program to:

(A) allow participation of commercial and industrial customers operating larger renewable energy systems;

(B) allow participation by renters and occupants of multi-tenant residential and commercial buildings;

(C) allow aggregation of meters by farmers, school districts, units of local government, and other customers that have more than one electric meter; and

(D) allow participation under shared-investment and community ownership models.

(e) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall provide administrative support for the Task Force.

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