HB0719 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB095 08561 MJR 28744 b

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB0719

Introduced 2/6/2007, by Rep. Michael K. Smith

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

220 ILCS 5/8-505.2 new
220 ILCS 5/16-125

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Requires each electric utility to submit to the Illinois Commerce Commission a non-emergency vegetation management schedule for the utility's service areas that is no more than 4 years in duration and that ensures that trees in all parts of the utility's service areas are trimmed at least once every 4 years. Provides that the Commission shall promulgate rules that develop service quality measures that require the quality and reliability to be the same as or better than levels that existed on July 1, 1996. Requires compensation for affected customers if more than 0.8% of the electric utility's total customers (now, more than 30,000 of the electric utility's customers) are subject to (i) a continuous interruption of power lasting 4 hours or more that results in the transmission of power at less than 50% of the standard voltage or that results in the total loss of power transmission or (ii) a power surge or other fluctuation that causes damage. Provides that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall require certain electric utilities or alternative retail electric suppliers to submit certain data concerning non-supervisory employees. Requires Commission rules to set forth (i) standards for inspecting, maintaining, and repairing certain electric generation facilities and electric transmission or distribution facilities and (ii) safety and reliability standards for certain electric generation facilities and electric transmission and distribution facilities. Provides that the Commission shall be authorized to levy financial penalties upon any entity that fails to meet the service quality and reliability standards of certain provisions. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

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 adding Section 8-505.2 and by changing Section 16-125 as follows:

(220 ILCS 5/8-505.2 new)

Sec. 8-505.2. Non-emergency vegetation management; schedules; filings; annual reporting requirements.

(a) Each electric utility shall submit to the Commission a vegetation management schedule for the utility's service areas. The schedule shall include the utility's non-emergency trimming schedule and shall be no more than 4 years in duration. The schedule must ensure that trees in all parts of the electric utility's service areas are trimmed at least once every 4 years. Within 30 days after the utility submits the schedule to the Commission, the Commission shall post the schedule on the Commission's web site on a separate page reserved exclusively for utility vegetation management schedules.

(b) Each electric utility must submit an annual report to the Commission indicating what percentage of the utility's vegetation management schedule has been completed. Upon submitting the annual report, a representative of the utility shall sign and file with the Commission an affidavit that lists the number and nature of all complaints for the previous calendar year related to the ANSI A300 standards.

(220 ILCS 5/16-125)

Sec. 16-125. Transmission and distribution reliability requirements.

(a) To assure the reliable delivery of electricity to all customers in this State and the effective implementation of the provisions of this Article, the Commission shall, within 180 days of the effective date of this Article, adopt rules and regulations that develop service quality measures for assessing and assuring the reliability of the transmission and distribution systems and facilities that are under the Commission's jurisdiction. The rules and regulations shall require the quality and reliability to be the same as or better than levels that existed on July 1, 1996.

(b) These rules and regulations shall require each electric utility or alternative retail electric supplier owning, controlling, or operating transmission and distribution facilities and equipment subject to the Commission's jurisdiction, referred to in this Section as "jurisdictional entities", to adopt and implement procedures for restoring transmission and distribution services to customers after transmission or distribution outages on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to whether a customer has chosen the electric utility, an affiliate of the electric utility, or another entity as its provider of electric power and energy. These rules and regulations shall also, at a minimum, specifically require each jurisdictional entity to submit annually to the Commission.

(1) the number and duration of planned and unplanned outages during the prior year and their impacts on customers;

(2) outages that were controllable and outages that were exacerbated in scope or duration by the condition of facilities, equipment or premises or by the actions or inactions of operating personnel or agents;

(3) customer service interruptions that were due solely to the actions or inactions of an alternative retail electric supplier or a public utility in supplying power or energy;

(4) a detailed report of the age, current condition, reliability and performance of the jurisdictional entity's existing transmission and distribution facilities, which shall include, without limitation, the following data:

(i) a summary of the jurisdictional entity's outages and voltage variances reportable under the Commission's rules;

(ii) the jurisdictional entity's expenditures for transmission construction and maintenance, the ratio of those expenditures to the jurisdictional entity's transmission investment, and the average remaining depreciation lives of the entity's transmission facilities, expressed as a percentage of total depreciation lives;

(iii) the jurisdictional entity's expenditures for distribution construction and maintenance, the ratio of those expenditures to the jurisdictional entity's distribution investment, and the average remaining depreciation lives of the entity's distribution facilities, expressed as a percentage of total depreciation lives;

(iv) a customer satisfaction survey covering, among other areas identified in Commission rules, reliability, customer service, and understandability of the jurisdictional entity's services and prices; and

(v) the corresponding information, in the same format, for the previous 3 years, if available;

(5) a plan for future investment and reliability improvements for the jurisdictional entity's transmission and distribution facilities that will ensure continued reliable delivery of energy to customers and provide the delivery reliability needed for fair and open competition; and

(6) a report of the jurisdictional entity's implementation of its plan filed pursuant to subparagraph (5) for the previous reporting period; and .

(7) the number of non-supervisory employees by classification or job title working at each calendar year's end at each headquarter, service area, reporting point, or plant and if the total number of non-supervisory employees is 1% or greater less than the preceding year's report and a detailed explanation showing reasons for the decrease in employees and the effect on safety and reliability.

(c) The Commission rules shall set forth:

(1) The the criteria that will be used to assess each jurisdictional entity's annual report and evaluate its reliability performance. Such criteria must take into account, at a minimum: the items required to be reported in subsection (b); the relevant characteristics of the area served; the age and condition of the system's equipment and facilities; good engineering practices; the costs of potential actions; and the benefits of avoiding the risks of service disruption.

(2) Standards for inspecting, maintaining, and repairing each of the following:

(i) Electric generation facilities in Illinois that are owned by public utilities or provide service to public utilities under contracts with terms of 2 years or more.

(ii) Electric transmission or distribution facilities in this State that are owned by public utilities.

The inspection standards shall set intervals for inspection of key components of the above ground and underground transmission and distribution systems. These shall include, but are not limited to, annual visual patrols of urban transformers, conductors, capacitors, regulators, and protective devices. Visual patrols shall be conducted every 2 years of the same equipment in rural locations. Inspection patrols shall be conducted by a person with the requisite knowledge, skills, training, experience, and competence in maintaining and operating electric transmission and distribution systems.

(3) Standards that the Commission determines are necessary for the safe and reliable operation of each of the following:

(i) Electric generation facilities in the State that are owned by public utilities or provide service to public utilities under contracts with terms of 2 years or more.

(ii) Electric transmission or distribution facilities in this State that are owned by public utilities.

(d) At least every 3 years, beginning in the year the Commission issues the rules required by subsection (a) or the following year if the rules are issued after June 1, the Commission shall assess the annual report of each jurisdictional entity and evaluate its reliability performance. The Commission's evaluation shall include specific identification of, and recommendations concerning, any potential reliability problems that it has identified as a result of its evaluation.

(e) In the event that more than 0.8% of the total 30,000 customers of an electric utility are subjected to a continuous power interruption of 4 hours or more that results in the transmission of power at less than 50% of the standard voltage, or that results in the total loss of power transmission, the utility shall be responsible for compensating customers affected by that interruption for 4 hours or more for all actual damages, which shall not include consequential damages, suffered as a result of the power interruption. The utility shall also reimburse the affected municipality, county, or other unit of local government in which the power interruption has taken place for all emergency and contingency expenses incurred by the unit of local government as a result of the interruption. A waiver of the requirements of this subsection may be granted by the Commission in instances in which the utility can show that the power interruption was a result of any one or more of the following causes:

(1) Unpreventable damage due to weather events or conditions.

(2) Customer tampering.

(3) Unpreventable damage due to civil or international unrest or animals.

(4) Damage to utility equipment or other actions by a party other than the utility, its employees, agents, or contractors.

Loss of revenue and expenses incurred in complying with this subsection may not be recovered from ratepayers.

(f) In the event of a power surge or other fluctuation that causes damage and affects more than 0.8% of the total 30,000 customers of an electric utility, the electric utility shall pay to affected customers the replacement value of all goods damaged as a result of the power surge or other fluctuation unless the utility can show that the power surge or other fluctuation was due to one or more of the following causes:

(1) Unpreventable damage due to weather events or conditions.

(2) Customer tampering.

(3) Unpreventable damage due to civil or international unrest or animals.

(4) Damage to utility equipment or other actions by a party other than the utility, its employees, agents, or contractors.

Loss of revenue and expenses incurred in complying with this subsection may not be recovered from ratepayers. Customers with respect to whom a waiver has been granted by the Commission pursuant to subparagraphs (1)-(4) of subsections (e) and (f) shall not count toward the 0.8% of the total 30,000 customers required therein.

(g) Whenever an electric utility must perform planned or routine maintenance or repairs on its equipment that will result in transmission of power at less than 50% of the standard voltage, loss of power, or power fluctuation (as defined in subsection (f)), the utility shall make reasonable efforts to notify potentially affected customers no less than 24 hours in advance of performance of the repairs or maintenance.

(h) Remedies provided for under this Section may be sought exclusively through the Illinois Commerce Commission as provided under Section 10-109 of this Act. Damages awarded under this Section for a power interruption shall be limited to actual damages, which shall not include consequential damages, and litigation costs. Damage awards may not be paid out of utility rate funds.

(i) The provisions of this Section shall not in any way diminish or replace other civil or administrative remedies available to a customer or a class of customers.

(j) The Commission shall by rule require an electric utility to maintain service records detailing information on each instance of transmission of power at less than 50% of the standard voltage, loss of power, or power fluctuation (as defined in subsection (f)), that affects 10 or more customers. Occurrences that are momentary shall not be required to be recorded or reported. The service record shall include, for each occurrence, the following information:

(1) The date.

(2) The time of occurrence.

(3) The duration of the incident.

(4) The number of customers affected.

(5) A description of the cause.

(6) The geographic area affected.

(7) The specific equipment involved in the fluctuation or interruption.

(8) A description of measures taken to restore service.

(9) A description of measures taken to remedy the cause of the power interruption or fluctuation.

(10) A description of measures taken to prevent future occurrence.

(11) The amount of remuneration, if any, paid to affected customers.

(12) A statement of whether the fixed charge was waived for affected customers.

Copies of the records containing this information shall be available for public inspection at the utility's offices, and copies thereof may be obtained upon payment of a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of reproduction. A copy of each record shall be filed with the Commission and shall be available for public inspection. Copies of the records may be obtained upon payment of a fee not exceeding the reasonable cost of reproduction.

(k) (Blank). The requirements of subsections (e) through (j) of this Section shall apply only to an electric public utility having 1,000,000 or more customers.

(l) The Commission shall be authorized to levy financial penalties upon any entity that fails to meet the service quality and reliability standards of Sections 8-505.2 and 16-125.

(Source: P.A. 90-561, eff. 12-16-97.)

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