SB2141 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 10766 RLJ 20960 b

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
SB2141

Introduced 2/20/2009, by Sen. Christine Radogno

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

65 ILCS 5/11-139-2	from Ch. 24, par. 11-139-2
220 ILCS 5/8-406	from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 8-406

Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that the Village of Woodridge may not acquire, construct, contract to construct, or maintain a waterworks or sewerage system outside of its corporate boundaries or planned boundaries without the approval by the Illinois Commerce Commission of a certificate of public convenience and necessity. Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that the Village of Woodridge shall not begin the construction of, or contract for the construction of, any waterworks or sewerage system outside of its corporate boundaries or planned boundaries unless and until it shall have obtained from the Commission a certificate that public convenience and necessity require such construction. Effective immediately.

HOME RULE 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 Illinois Municipal Code is amended by changing Section 11-139-2 as follows:

(65 ILCS 5/11-139-2) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-139-2)

Sec. 11-139-2. Any municipality may acquire, or construct, and maintain and operate a combined waterworks and sewerage system either within or without the corporate limits thereof. A municipality owning and operating a waterworks or sewerage system may provide for the inclusion of that waterworks or sewerage system or the combination of the 2 in a combined waterworks and sewerage system under this Division 139, and in connection therewith may provide for paying or refunding any unpaid obligations which are payable solely from the revenue of or which are secured by a mortgage of that waterworks or sewerage system, or any part thereof included in the combined waterworks and sewerage system. Any municipality owning and operating a combined waterworks and sewerage system may also provide for paying or refunding any unpaid obligations which are payable solely from the revenue of the combined waterworks and sewerage system. A municipality owning, acquiring, or constructing and providing for the operation of a combined waterworks and sewerage system may improve and extend that system, and may impose and collect charges or rates for the use of that system as provided in this Division 139. A municipality may also, when determined by its corporate authorities to be in the public interest and necessary for the protection of the public health or in the best interests of the municipality and its environs, enter into and perform contracts, whether long-term or short-term, with any other municipality within a radius of 25 miles of its corporate limits and construct water mains to such municipality and supply water to such municipalities on the request of any such municipality; provided, that such water mains be constructed and that such municipality purchase water on a long term basis at rates sufficient to amortize the cost of the construction of such water mains and pay the cost of maintenance and operation thereof, as hereinafter provided in this Division 139, and also with any industrial establishment for the provision and operation by the municipality of sewerage facilities, either within or without the corporate limits of such municipality, to abate or reduce the pollution of waters caused by discharges of industrial wastes by the industrial establishment and the payment periodically by such municipality or municipalities or the industrial establishment to the municipality of amounts at least sufficient, in the determination of such corporate authorities, to compensate the municipality for the cost of providing (including payment of principal and interest charges, if any) and of operating and maintaining any such facilities. This amendatory Act is not a prohibition upon the contractual and associational powers granted by Article VII, Section 10 of the Constitution.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, on and after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly, the Village of Woodridge may not acquire, construct, contract to construct, or maintain a waterworks or sewerage system outside of its corporate boundaries or planned boundaries without the approval by the Illinois Commerce Commission of a certificate of public convenience and necessity.

(Source: P.A. 77-2837.)

Section 10. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing Section 8-406 as follows:

(220 ILCS 5/8-406) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 8-406)

Sec. 8-406. Certificate of public convenience and necessity.

(a) No public utility not owning any city or village franchise nor engaged in performing any public service or in furnishing any product or commodity within this State as of July 1, 1921 and not possessing a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Illinois Commerce Commission, the State Public Utilities Commission or the Public Utilities Commission, at the time this amendatory Act of 1985 goes into effect, shall transact any business in this State until it shall have obtained a certificate from the Commission that public convenience and necessity require the transaction of such business.

(b) No public utility shall begin the construction of any new plant, equipment, property or facility which is not in substitution of any existing plant, equipment, property or facility or any extension or alteration thereof or in addition thereto, unless and until it shall have obtained from the Commission a certificate that public convenience and necessity require such construction. Whenever after a hearing the Commission determines that any new construction or the transaction of any business by a public utility will promote the public convenience and is necessary thereto, it shall have the power to issue certificates of public convenience and necessity. The Commission shall determine that proposed construction will promote the public convenience and necessity only if the utility demonstrates: (1) that the proposed construction is necessary to provide adequate, reliable, and efficient service to its customers and is the least-cost means of satisfying the service needs of its customers or that the proposed construction will promote the development of an effectively competitive electricity market that operates efficiently, is equitable to all customers, and is the least cost means of satisfying those objectives; (2) that the utility is capable of efficiently managing and supervising the construction process and has taken sufficient action to ensure adequate and efficient construction and supervision thereof; and (3) that the utility is capable of financing the proposed construction without significant adverse financial consequences for the utility or its customers.

(c) After the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1987, no construction shall commence on any new nuclear power plant to be located within this State, and no certificate of public convenience and necessity or other authorization shall be issued therefor by the Commission, until the Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency finds that the United States Government, through its authorized agency, has identified and approved a demonstrable technology or means for the disposal of high level nuclear waste, or until such construction has been specifically approved by a statute enacted by the General Assembly.

As used in this Section, "high level nuclear waste" means those aqueous wastes resulting from the operation of the first cycle of the solvent extraction system or equivalent and the concentrated wastes of the subsequent extraction cycles or equivalent in a facility for reprocessing irradiated reactor fuel and shall include spent fuel assemblies prior to fuel reprocessing.

(c-5) The Village of Woodridge shall not begin the construction of, or contract for the construction of, any waterworks or sewerage system outside of its corporate boundaries or planned boundaries unless and until it shall have obtained from the Commission a certificate that public convenience and necessity require such construction.

(d) In making its determination, the Commission shall attach primary weight to the cost or cost savings to the customers of the utility. The Commission may consider any or all factors which will or may affect such cost or cost savings.

(e) The Commission may issue a temporary certificate which shall remain in force not to exceed one year in cases of emergency, to assure maintenance of adequate service or to serve particular customers, without notice or hearing, pending the determination of an application for a certificate, and may by regulation exempt from the requirements of this Section temporary acts or operations for which the issuance of a certificate will not be required in the public interest.

A public utility shall not be required to obtain but may apply for and obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity pursuant to this Section with respect to any matter as to which it has received the authorization or order of the Commission under the Electric Supplier Act, and any such authorization or order granted a public utility by the Commission under that Act shall as between public utilities be deemed to be, and shall have except as provided in that Act the same force and effect as, a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued pursuant to this Section.

No electric cooperative shall be made or shall become a party to or shall be entitled to be heard or to otherwise appear or participate in any proceeding initiated under this Section for authorization of power plant construction and as to matters as to which a remedy is available under The Electric Supplier Act.

(f) Such certificates may be altered or modified by the Commission, upon its own motion or upon application by the person or corporation affected. Unless exercised within a period of 2 years from the grant thereof authority conferred by a certificate of convenience and necessity issued by the Commission shall be null and void.

No certificate of public convenience and necessity shall be construed as granting a monopoly or an exclusive privilege, immunity or franchise.

(Source: P.A. 95-700, eff. 11-9-07.)

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