SB0239 Engrossed

LRB094 07417 MKM 37579 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 9-241 as follows:
 



6
    (220 ILCS 5/9-241)  (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 9-241)



7
    Sec. 9-241. No public utility shall, as to rates or other 
8
charges,
services, facilities or in other respect, make or 
9
grant any preference
or advantage to any corporation or person 
10
or subject any corporation or
person to any prejudice or 
11
disadvantage. No public utility shall
establish or maintain any 
12
unreasonable difference as to rates or other
charges, services, 
13
facilities, or in any other respect, either as
between 
14
localities or as between classes of service.

15
    However, nothing in this Section shall be construed as 
16
limiting the
authority of the Commission to permit the 
17
establishment of economic
development rates as incentives to 
18
economic development either in
enterprise zones as designated 
19
by the State of Illinois or in other areas
of a utility's 
20
service area. Such rates should be available to existing

21
businesses which demonstrate an increase to existing load as 
22
well as new
businesses which create new load for a utility so 
23
as to create a more balanced
utilization of generating 
24
capacity.  The Commission shall ensure that such
rates are 
25
established at a level which provides a net benefit to 
26
customers
within a public utility's service area.

27
    Prior to October 1, 1989, no public utility providing 
28
electrical
or gas service shall consider the use of solar or 
29
other nonconventional
renewable sources of energy by a customer 
30
as a basis for establishing higher
rates or charges for any 
31
service or commodity sold to such customer; nor
shall a public 
32
utility subject any customer utilizing such energy source
or 
 


 






SB0239 Engrossed
- 2 -
LRB094 07417 MKM 37579 b




1
sources to any other prejudice or disadvantage on account of 
2
such use.
No public utility shall without the consent of the 
3
Commission, charge or
receive any greater compensation in the 
4
aggregate for a lesser commodity,
product, or service than for 
5
a greater commodity, product or service of
like character.

6
    The Commission, in order to expedite the determination of 
7
rate
questions, or to avoid unnecessary and unreasonable 
8
expense, or to avoid
unjust or unreasonable discrimination 
9
between classes of customers, or,
whenever in the judgment of 
10
the Commission public interest so requires,
may, for rate 
11
making and accounting purposes, or either of them,
consider
one 
12
or more municipalities either with or without the adjacent or

13
intervening rural territory as a regional unit (i) where the 
14
same public
utility serves such region under substantially 
15
similar conditions or (ii) where 2 or more public utilities 
16
under the jurisdiction of the Commission, that are under the 
17
same public utility holding company or that are affiliated with 
18
each other, serve such region under substantially similar 
19
conditions, and may
within such region prescribe uniform rates 
20
for consumers or patrons of the same
class.

21
    Any public utility, with the consent and approval of the 
22
Commission, may
as a basis for the determination of the charges 
23
made by it classify its
service according to the amount used, 
24
the time when used, the purpose for
which used, and other 
25
relevant factors.

26
(Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)

 

27
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
28
becoming law.