HB1944 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB095 09706 MJR 29910 b

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB1944

Introduced 2/23/2007, by Rep. Carolyn H. Krause

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

220 ILCS 5/16-111.1

Amends the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 in the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the trustees of the Illinois Clean Energy Community Trust shall distribute up to $2,000,000 each calendar year to applicants and programs that promote or implement energy efficiency or conservation programs in the State for 3 calendar years after the effective date. Provides that the trustees shall adopt rules necessary for implementation of the provisions. 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 changing Section 16-111.1 as follows:

(220 ILCS 5/16-111.1)

Sec. 16-111.1. Illinois Clean Energy Community Trust.

(a) An electric utility which has sold or transferred generating facilities in a transaction to which subsection (k) of Section 16-111 applies is authorized to establish an Illinois clean energy community trust or foundation for the purposes of providing financial support and assistance to entities, public or private, within the State of Illinois including, but not limited to, units of State and local government, educational institutions, corporations, and charitable, educational, environmental and community organizations, for programs and projects that benefit the public by improving energy efficiency, developing renewable energy resources, supporting other energy related projects that improve the State's environmental quality, and supporting projects and programs intended to preserve or enhance the natural habitats and wildlife areas of the State. Provided, however, that the trust or foundation funds shall not be used for the remediation of environmentally impaired property. The trust or foundation may also assist in identifying other energy and environmental grant opportunities.

(b) Such trust or foundation shall be governed by a declaration of trust or articles of incorporation and bylaws which shall, at a minimum, provide that:

(1) There shall be 6 voting trustees of the trust or foundation, one of whom shall be appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be appointed by the President of the Illinois Senate, one of whom shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate, one of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, one of whom shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, and one of whom shall be appointed by the electric utility establishing the trust or foundation, provided that the voting trustee appointed by the utility shall be a representative of a recognized environmental action group selected by the utility. The Governor shall designate one of the 6 voting trustees to serve as chairman of the trust or foundation, who shall serve as chairman of the trust or foundation at the pleasure of the Governor. In addition, there shall be 4 non-voting trustees, one of whom shall be appointed by the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, one of whom shall be appointed by the Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, one of whom shall be appointed by the Director of Natural Resources, and one of whom shall be appointed by the electric utility establishing the trust or foundation, provided that the non-voting trustee appointed by the utility shall bring financial expertise to the trust or foundation and shall have appropriate credentials therefor.

(2) All voting trustees and the non-voting trustee with financial expertise shall be entitled to compensation for their services as trustees, provided, however, that no member of the General Assembly and no employee of the electric utility establishing the trust or foundation serving as a voting trustee shall receive any compensation for his or her services as a trustee, and provided further that the compensation to the chairman of the trust shall not exceed $25,000 annually and the compensation to any other trustee shall not exceed $20,000 annually. All trustees shall be entitled to reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred on behalf of the trust in the performance of their duties as trustees. All such compensation and reimbursements shall be paid out of the trust.

(3) Trustees shall be appointed within 30 days after the creation of the trust or foundation and shall serve for a term of 5 years commencing upon the date of their respective appointments, until their respective successors are appointed and qualified.

(4) A vacancy in the office of trustee shall be filled by the person holding the office responsible for appointing the trustee whose death or resignation creates the vacancy, and a trustee appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve the remainder of the term of the trustee whose resignation or death created the vacancy.

(5) The trust or foundation shall have an indefinite term, and shall terminate at such time as no trust assets remain.

(6) The trust or foundation shall be funded in the minimum amount of $250,000,000, with the allocation and disbursement of funds for the various purposes for which the trust or foundation is established to be determined by the trustees in accordance with the declaration of trust or the articles of incorporation and bylaws; provided, however, that this amount may be reduced by up to $25,000,000 if, at the time the trust or foundation is funded, a corresponding amount is contributed by the electric utility establishing the trust or foundation to the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University for the purpose of funding programs or projects related to clean coal and provided further that $25,000,000 of the amount contributed to the trust or foundation shall be available to fund programs or projects related to clean coal.

(7) The trust or foundation shall be authorized to employ an executive director and other employees, to enter into leases, contracts and other obligations on behalf of the trust or foundation, and to incur expenses that the trustees deem necessary or appropriate for the fulfillment of the purposes for which the trust or foundation is established, provided, however, that salaries and administrative expenses incurred on behalf of the trust or foundation shall not exceed $500,000 in the first fiscal year after the trust or foundation is established and shall not exceed $1,000,000 in each subsequent fiscal year.

(8) The trustees may create and appoint advisory boards or committees to assist them with the administration of the trust or foundation, and to advise and make recommendations to them regarding the contribution and disbursement of the trust or foundation funds.

(c)(1) In addition to the allocation and disbursement of funds for the purposes set forth in subsection (a) of this Section, the trustees of the trust or foundation shall annually contribute funds in amounts set forth in subparagraph (2) of this subsection to the Citizens Utility Board created by the Citizens Utility Board Act; provided, however, that any such funds shall be used solely for the representation of the interests of utility consumers before the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Federal Communications Commission and for the provision of consumer education on utility service and prices and on benefits and methods of energy conservation. Provided, however, that no part of such funds shall be used to support (i) any lobbying activity, (ii) activities related to fundraising, (iii) advertising or other marketing efforts regarding a particular utility, or (iv) solicitation of support for, or advocacy of, a particular position regarding any specific utility or a utility's docketed proceeding.

(2) In the calendar year in which the trust or foundation is first funded, the trustees shall contribute $1,000,000 to the Citizens Utility Board within 60 days after such trust or foundation is established; provided, however, that such contribution shall be made after December 31, 1999. In each of the 6 calendar years subsequent to the first contribution, if the trust or foundation is in existence, the trustees shall contribute to the Citizens Utility Board an amount equal to the total expenditures by such organization in the prior calendar year, as set forth in the report filed by the Citizens Utility Board with the chairman of such trust or foundation as required by subparagraph (3) of this subsection. Such subsequent contributions shall be made within 30 days of submission by the Citizens Utility Board of such report to the Chairman of the trust or foundation, but in no event shall any annual contribution by the trustees to the Citizens Utility Board exceed $1,000,000. Following such 7-year period, an Illinois statutory consumer protection agency may petition the trust or foundation for contributions to fund expenditures of the type identified in paragraph (1), but in no event shall annual contributions by the trust or foundation for such expenditures exceed $1,000,000.

(3) The Citizens Utility Board shall file a report with the chairman of such trust or foundation for each year in which it expends any funds received from the trust or foundation setting forth the amount of any expenditures (regardless of the source of funds for such expenditures) for: (i) the representation of the interests of utility consumers before the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Federal Communications Commission, and (ii) the provision of consumer education on utility service and prices and on benefits and methods of energy conservation. Such report shall separately state the total amount of expenditures for the purposes or activities identified by items (i) and (ii) of this paragraph, the name and address of the external recipient of any such expenditure, if applicable, and the specific purposes or activities (including internal purposes or activities) for which each expenditure was made. Any report required by this subsection shall be filed with the chairman of such trust or foundation no later than March 31 of the year immediately following the year for which the report is required.

(d) In addition to any other allocation and disbursement of funds in this Section, the trustees of the trust or foundation shall contribute an amount up to $125,000,000 (1) for deposit into the General Obligation Bond Retirement and Interest Fund held in the State treasury to assist in the repayment on general obligation bonds issued under subsection (d) of Section 7 of the General Obligation Bond Act, and (2) for deposit into funds administered by agencies with responsibility for environmental activities to assist in payment for environmental programs. The amount required to be contributed shall be provided to the trustees in a certification letter from the Director of the Bureau of the Budget that shall be provided no later than August 1, 2003. The payment from the trustees shall be paid to the State no later than December 31st following the receipt of the letter.

(d) The trustees shall distribute up to $2,000,000 each calendar year to applicants and programs that promote or implement energy efficiency or conservation programs in this State for 3 calendar years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly. The trustees shall adopt rules necessary for implementation of this subsection (d).

(Source: P.A. 93-32, eff. 6-20-03; 94-793, eff. 5-19-06.)

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