SB0096eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0096 Engrossed LRB094 06583 MKM 36674 b

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing Section 3-105 as follows:

(220 ILCS 5/3-105) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 3-105)

Sec. 3-105. Public utility. "Public utility" means and includes, except where otherwise expressly provided in this Section, every corporation, company, limited liability company, association, joint stock company or association, firm, partnership or individual, their lessees, trustees, or receivers appointed by any court whatsoever that owns, controls, operates or manages, within this State, directly or indirectly, for public use, any plant, equipment or property used or to be used for or in connection with, or owns or controls any franchise, license, permit or right to engage in:

a. the production, storage, transmission, sale, delivery or furnishing of heat, cold, power, electricity, water, or light, except when used solely for communications purposes;

b. the disposal of sewerage; or

c. the conveyance of oil or gas by pipe line.

"Public utility" does not include, however:

1. public utilities that are owned and operated by any political subdivision, public institution of higher education or municipal corporation of this State, or public utilities that are owned by such political subdivision, public institution of higher education, or municipal corporation and operated by any of its lessees or operating agents;

2. water companies which are purely mutual concerns, having no rates or charges for services, but paying the operating expenses by assessment upon the members of such a company and no other person;

3. electric cooperatives as defined in Section 3-119;

4. residential natural gas cooperatives that are not-for-profit corporations established for the purpose of administering and operating, on a cooperative basis, the furnishing of natural gas to residences for the benefit of their members who are residential consumers of natural gas. For entities qualifying as residential natural gas cooperatives and recognized by the Illinois Commerce Commission as such, the State shall guarantee legally binding contracts entered into by residential natural gas cooperatives for the express purpose of acquiring natural gas supplies for their members. The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish rules and regulations providing for such guarantees. The total liability of the State in providing all such guarantees shall not at any time exceed $1,000,000, nor shall the State provide such a guarantee to a residential natural gas cooperative for more than 3 consecutive years;

5. sewage disposal companies which provide sewage disposal services on a mutual basis without establishing rates or charges for services, but paying the operating expenses by assessment upon the members of the company and no others;

6. (Blank);

7. cogeneration facilities, small power production facilities, and other qualifying facilities, as defined in the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act and regulations promulgated thereunder, except to the extent State regulatory jurisdiction and action is required or authorized by federal law, regulations, regulatory decisions or the decisions of federal or State courts of competent jurisdiction;

8. the ownership or operation of a facility that sells compressed natural gas at retail to the public for use only as a motor vehicle fuel and the selling of compressed natural gas at retail to the public for use only as a motor vehicle fuel; and

9. alternative retail electric suppliers as defined in Article XVI; and .

10. the ownership or operation of a facility that distributes primarily propane by pipeline and sells it at retail, except in cases where there is no alternative source of propane reasonably available to the customers being served.

(Source: P.A. 89-42, eff. 1-1-96; 90-561, eff. 12-16-97.)

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