20 ILCS 730/5-60

(20 ILCS 730/5-60)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)

Sec. 5-60. Jobs and Environmental Justice Grant Program.

(a) In order to provide upfront capital to support the development of projects, businesses, community organizations, and jobs creating opportunity for historically disadvantaged populations, and to provide seed capital to support community ownership of renewable energy projects, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall create and administer a Jobs and Environmental Justice Grant Program. The grant program shall be designed to help remove barriers to project, community, and business development caused by a lack of capital.

(b) The grant program shall provide grant awards of up to $1,000,000 per application to support the development of renewable energy resources as defined in Section 1-10 of the Illinois Power Agency Act, and energy efficiency measures as defined in Section 8-103B of the Public Utilities Act. The amount of a grant award shall be based on a project's size and scope. Grants shall be provided upfront, in advance of other incentives, to provide businesses, organizations, and community groups with capital needed to plan, develop, and execute a project. Grants shall be designed to coordinate with and supplement existing incentive programs, such as the Adjustable Block program, the Illinois Solar for All Program, the community renewable generation projects, and renewable energy procurements as described in the Illinois Power Agency Act, as well as utility energy efficiency measures as described in Section 8-103B of the Public Utilities Act.

(c) The Jobs and Environmental Justice Grant Program shall include 2 subprograms:

(1) the Equitable Energy Future Grant Program; and

(2) the Community Solar Energy Sovereignty Grant Program.

(d) The Equitable Energy Future Grant Program is designed to provide seed funding and pre-development funding opportunities for equity eligible contractors.

(1) The Equitable Energy Future Grant shall be awarded to businesses and nonprofit organizations for costs related to the following activities and project needs:

(i) planning and project development, including costs for professional services such as architecture, design, engineering, auditing, consulting, and developer services;

(ii) project application, deposit, and approval;

(iii) purchasing and leasing of land;

(iv) permitting and zoning;

(v) interconnection application costs and fees, studies, and expenses;

(vi) equipment and supplies;

(vii) community outreach, marketing, and engagement; and

(viii) staff and operations expenses.

(2) Grants shall be awarded to projects that most effectively provide opportunities for equity eligible contractors and equity investment eligible communities, and should consider the following criteria:

(i) projects that provide community benefits, which are projects that have one or more of the following characteristics: (A) greater than 50% of the project's energy provided or saved benefits low-income residents, or (B) the project benefits not-for-profit organizations providing services to low-income households, affordable housing owners, or community-based limited liability companies providing services to low-income households;

(ii) projects that are located in equity investment eligible communities;

(iii) projects that provide on-the-job training;

(iv) projects that contract with contractors who are participating or have participated in the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program, Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program, or similar programs; and

(v) projects employ a minimum of 51% of its workforce from participants and graduates of the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program, Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program, and Returning Residents Clean Jobs Training Program.

(3) Grants shall be awarded to applicants that meet the following criteria:

(i) are equity eligible contractors per the equity accountability systems described in subsection (c-10) of Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency Act, or meet the equity building criteria in paragraph (9.5) of subsection (g) of Section 8-103B of the Public Utilities Act; and

(ii) provide demonstrable proof of a historical or future, and persisting, long-term partnership with the community in which the project will be located.

(e) The Community Solar Energy Sovereignty Grant Program shall be designed to support the pre-development and development of community solar projects that promote community ownership and energy sovereignty.

(1) Grants shall be awarded to applicants that best demonstrate the ability and intent to create community ownership and other local community benefits, including local community wealth building via community renewable generation projects. Grants shall be prioritized to applicants for whom:

(i) the proposed project is located in and supporting an equity investment eligible community or communities; and

(ii) the proposed project provides additional benefits for participating low-income households.

(2) Grant funds shall be awarded to support project pre-development work and may also be awarded to support the development of programs and entities to assist in the long-term governance, management, and maintenance of community solar projects, such as community solar cooperatives. For example, funds may be awarded for:

(i) early stage project planning;

(ii) project team organization;

(iii) site identification;

(iv) organizing a project business model and securing financing;

(v) procurement and contracting;

(vi) customer outreach and enrollment;

(vii) preliminary site assessments;

(viii) development of cooperative or community ownership model; and

(ix) development of project models that allocate benefits to equity investment eligible communities.

(3) Grant recipients shall submit reports to the Department at the end of the grant term on the activities pursued under their grant and any lessons learned for publication on the Department's website so that other energy sovereignty projects may learn from their experience.

(4) Eligible applicants shall include community-based organizations, as defined in the Illinois Power Agency's long-term renewable resources procurement plan, or technical service providers working in direct partnership with community-based organizations.

(5) The amount of a grant shall be based on a projects' size and scope. Grants shall allow for a significant portion, or the entirety, of the grant value to be made upfront, in advance of other incentives, to ensure businesses and organizations have the capital needed to plan, develop, and execute a project.

(f) The application process for both subprograms shall not be burdensome on applicants, nor require extensive technical knowledge, and shall be able to be completed on less than 4 standard letter-sized pages.

(g) These grant subprograms may be coordinated with low-interest and no-interest financing opportunities offered through the Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund.

(h) The grant subprograms may have a budget of up to $34,000,000 per year. No more than 25% of the allocated budget shall go to the Community Solar Energy Sovereignty Grant Program.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)