Rep. Curtis J. Tarver, II

Filed: 4/1/2024

 

 


 

 


 
10300HB5610ham001LRB103 38958 CES 71330 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 5610

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 5610 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Powering Up Illinois Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7    "Electrification" means any new use of electricity,
8expanded use of electricity, or change in use of electricity,
9including, but not limited to, any change in the use of
10electricity in the industrial, commercial, agricultural,
11housing, or transportation sectors.
12    "Energization" and "energize" means connecting new
13customers to the electrical grid, establishing adequate
14electrical capacity to provide service for a new customer, or
15upgrading electrical capacity to provide upgraded service to
16an existing customer. The terms "energization" and "energize"

 

 

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1do not include activities related to connecting electricity
2supply resources.
3    "Energization time period" means the period of time that
4begins when the electric utility receives a substantially
5complete energization project application and ends when the
6electric service associated with the project is installed and
7energized.
 
8    Section 10. Findings. The General Assembly finds and
9declares all of the following:
10        (1) It is the policy of the State to increase the use
11    of electric vehicles in the State to 1,000,000 by 2030.
12    That expanded infrastructure investment will help Illinois
13    more rapidly decarbonize the transportation sector.
14    Widespread use of electric vehicles and charging equipment
15    has the potential to provide customers with fuel cost
16    savings and provide electric utility customers with
17    cost-saving benefits. Widespread use of electric vehicles
18    stimulates innovation, competition, and increased choices
19    in charging equipment and networks and also attracts
20    private capital investments and creates high-quality jobs
21    in Illinois. Accelerating the adoption of electric
22    vehicles will drive the decarbonization of Illinois'
23    transportation sector. To meet these goals and federal,
24    State, regional, and local air quality and decarbonization
25    standards, plans, and regulations, a large increase in

 

 

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1    both the quantity of electricity used and the functions
2    for which electricity will be used is needed.
3        (2) To meet these decarbonization goals as well as
4    federal, State, regional, and local air quality and
5    decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations:
6            (A) the State's electrical distribution systems
7        must be substantially upgraded;
8            (B) new customers must promptly connect to the
9        electrical distribution system; and
10            (C) existing customers must have their service
11        level promptly upgraded.
12        (3) There are many reports of large housing
13    developments that are unable to be energized promptly. The
14    State has an urgent need to increase its supply of
15    housing, requiring both new electrical distribution
16    capacity and the prompt energization of new housing.
17        (4) There are many reports of individual customers who
18    are unable to have their electrical service promptly
19    upgraded or energized and charging stations for
20    light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles and
21    off-road vehicles, vessels, trains, and equipment that are
22    unable to be energized promptly. These delays may inhibit
23    the State's ability to meet its decarbonization goals and
24    federal, State, regional, and local air quality and
25    decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations.
26        (5) To improve the speed at which energization and

 

 

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1    service upgrades are performed, electric utilities that
2    distribute electricity must do both of the following:
3            (A) improve their advance planning, engineering,
4        and construction of increased distribution and
5        transmission system capacity; and
6            (B) preorder transformers, switchgear, and other
7        needed equipment.
8        (6) Electrifying transportation and buildings can put
9    downward pressure on rates by spreading fixed costs over
10    more kilowatt-hours of usage.
11        (7) Delays in energization, including service
12    upgrades, are costly both to the customers awaiting
13    service and to other customers who are deprived of the
14    downward pressure on rates.
15        (8) To carry out the planning, engineering, and
16    construction of electrical distribution systems needed to
17    promptly serve customers, electric utilities that
18    distribute electricity must recruit, train, and retain an
19    adequately sized, qualified workforce.
20        (9) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish
21    target deadlines for utilities that distribute electricity
22    to energize new customers and upgrade the service of
23    existing customers.
24        (10) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish
25    reporting requirements for electric utilities that
26    distribute electricity to report the extent to which they

 

 

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1    comply with the target deadlines and the reasons for any
2    noncompliance.
 
3    Section 15. Electrical distribution system upgrades. An
4electric utility that operates within the State shall:
5        (1) upgrade the State's electrical distribution
6    systems as needed and in time to achieve the State's
7    decarbonization goals, and implement federal, State,
8    regional, and local air quality and decarbonization
9    standards, plans, and regulations;
10        (2) comply with the obligation of the electric utility
11    to serve by conducting sufficient advance planning,
12    engineering, and construction of increased distribution of
13    system capacity and by preordering transformers and other
14    needed equipment so that customers can be energized
15    without substantial delay;
16        (3) promptly energize new customers, including by
17    ensuring that new housing, new businesses, and new
18    charging for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty
19    vehicles and off-road vehicles, vessels, trains, and
20    equipment can be used without delay caused by a failure of
21    the utility to implement energization projects;
22        (4) promptly upgrade service when needed by customers;
23        (5) allow customers seeking energization to elect an
24    optional flexible connection agreement, meaning a
25    tariffed, voluntary utility offering that requires

 

 

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1    customers to agree to specified service levels as a
2    requirement of energization or interconnection, through
3    the use of demand response technology that limits the net
4    import and export of electricity at the point of common
5    coupling to remain within the rated capacity limits of a
6    customer's existing service connection or distribution
7    circuit, either on a permanent basis or to allow for
8    immediate project operations before service or
9    distribution system upgrades are completed; and
10        (6) recruit, train, and retain an adequately sized and
11    qualified workforce to carry out the planning,
12    engineering, and construction of electrical distribution
13    systems needed to promptly serve customers seeking
14    energization and service upgrades without sacrificing
15    other necessary activities of the workforce.
 
16    Section 20. Illinois Commerce Commission requirements.
17    (a) Within 180 days after the effective date of this Act,
18the Illinois Commerce Commission shall meet all of the
19following requirements:
20        (1) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish
21    reasonable average and maximum target energization time
22    periods. The targets shall ensure that work is completed
23    in a manner that minimizes delay in meeting the date
24    requested by the customer for completion of the project to
25    the greatest extent possible and prioritizes work in a

 

 

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1    manner consistent with Sections 10 and 15 of this Act. The
2    targets may vary depending on the complexity and magnitude
3    of the work required and uncertainties regarding the
4    readiness of the customer project needing energization.
5    The targets may also recognize any factors beyond the
6    electric utility's control.
7        (2) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish
8    requirements for an electric utility to report to the
9    Commission, at least annually, in order to track and
10    improve electric utility performance. The report shall
11    include the average, median, and standard deviation time
12    between receiving an application for electrical service
13    and energizing the electrical service, explanations for
14    energization time periods that exceed the target maximum
15    for energization projects, constraints and obstacles to
16    each type of energization, including, but not limited to,
17    funding limitations, qualified staffing availability, or
18    equipment availability, and any other information
19    requested by the Illinois Commerce Commission.
20        (3) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish a
21    procedure for customers to report energization delays to
22    the Illinois Commerce Commission.
23    (b) If energization time periods exceed the Commission's
24target averages or if the electric utility has a substantial
25number of energization projects that exceed the Commission's
26target maximums, the electric utility shall include in its

 

 

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1report under paragraph (2) of subsection (a) a strategy for
2meeting the targets in the future. The Commission may request
3modification of the electric utility's strategy to ensure that
4the electric utility meets targets promptly and consistent
5with the policies set forth in Section 10.
6    (c) Data reported by electric utilities shall be
7anonymized or aggregated to the extent necessary to prevent
8identifying individual customers. The Commission shall require
9all reports to be publicly available.
10    (d) The Commission shall require the electric utility to
11take any remedial actions necessary to achieve the
12Commission's targets, including the use of incentives or
13penalties.
 
14    Section 25. Electrification team; staffing.
15    (a) The Commission shall require each electric utility to
16establish a dedicated electrification team that shall, at a
17minimum, do the following:
18        (1) serve as a single point of contact for customers
19    throughout the entire energization process;
20        (2) proactively engage with customers to understand
21    and support electrification plans; and
22        (3) consolidate all transportation electrification
23    customer programs, accounts and relevant information to
24    support electrification and the energization process.
25    (b) The Commission shall require each electric utility to

 

 

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1have adequate qualified staffing needed for the
2electrification team to be consistent with the findings and
3achieve the policies and requirements of this Act.
4    (c) For job classifications that have apprentice training
5requirements, the Commission shall require each electric
6utility to maintain a pipeline of apprentices sufficient to
7meet future qualified staffing needs, subject to any
8limitations based on safe staffing ratios.
9    (d) As part of each report required pursuant to paragraph
10(2) of subsection (a) of Section 20, and in each general rate
11case application, each electric utility shall include a
12detailed analysis of its current qualified staffing level and
13future required qualified staffing level for each job
14classification needed to achieve the policies and requirements
15of this Act.
 
16    Section 30. Electric utility requirements. The Illinois
17Commerce Commission shall require an electric utility to do
18the following:
19        (1) consider, in its internal distribution planning
20    process and in the development of the Multi-Year
21    Integrated Grid Plans required by Section 16-105.17 of the
22    Public Utilities Act, all of the following:
23            (A) federal, State, regional, and local air
24        quality and decarbonization standards, plans, and
25        regulations;

 

 

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1            (B) the transportation and building
2        electrification policies of State law;
3            (C) State agency, local agency, and local
4        government plans and requirements related to housing,
5        economic development, critical facilities,
6        transportation, and building electrification; and
7            (D) load and electrification forecasts that
8        include the following:
9                (I) known load and projections of load
10            conducted by State agencies, and projections of
11            load that exceed forecasts conducted by State
12            agencies;
13                (II) a minimum of 3 time horizons, including
14            short-term (1 to 2 years), medium-term (3 to 5
15            years), and long-term (6 to 10 years) time
16            horizons;
17                (III) scenarios that are consistent with
18            implementing the laws, standards, plans, and
19            regulations described in subsections (A), (B), and
20            (C) of this Section;
21                (IV) hourly, feeder-level forecasts; and
22                (V) a consideration of the impact of
23            distributed energy resource forecasts and,
24            specifically, local generation;
25        (2) consider, in its site evaluation and design
26    process, all of the following:

 

 

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1            (A) automated load management, managed charging,
2        and distributed energy resources to defer or mitigate
3        energization-related grid upgrades; and
4            (B) if the above solutions cannot defer or
5        mitigate an upgrade, the electric utility shall
6        evaluate traditional system upgrades; and
7        (3) adopt and implement rules to satisfy the policies
8    set forth in Section 20 and to meet the energization time
9    periods established under paragraph (1) of subsection (a)
10    of Section 20.
 
11    Section 35. Recovery of costs. The Commission shall ensure
12that electric utilities have sufficient and timely recovery of
13costs to be consistent with the findings and achieve the
14policies and requirements of this Act, including for emergent
15electrification projects.
 
16    Section 36. Safety. To ensure the safety and reliability
17of electrical infrastructure associated with charging electric
18vehicles:
19        (1) The Illinois Commerce Commission, Illinois
20    Environmental Protection Agency, and Illinois Department
21    of Transportation shall require that all electric vehicle
22    charging infrastructure and equipment located on the
23    customer side of the electrical meter that is funded or
24    authorized, in whole or in part, by those State entities

 

 

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1    shall be installed by a licensed, bonded, and insured
2    electrical contractor registered in the municipality where
3    work is to be performed, and who has at least one
4    electrician on each crew, at any given time, who holds an
5    Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program
6    certification.
7        (2) The Illinois Commerce Commission, Illinois
8    Environmental Protection Agency, and Illinois Department
9    of Transportation shall require the projects that are
10    funded or authorized, in whole or in part by those State
11    entities and that install a charging port supplying 25
12    kilowatts or more to a vehicle to have at least 25% of the
13    total electricians working on the crew for the project, at
14    any given time, who hold Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
15    Training Program certification.
16        (3) One member of each crew may be both the contractor
17    and an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program
18    certified electrician.
19        (4) Subdivision (1) does not apply to:
20            (A) electric vehicle charging infrastructure
21        installed by employees of an electric utility or local
22        publicly owned electric utility; or
23            (B) single-family home residential electric
24        vehicle chargers that can use an existing 208/240-volt
25        outlet.
26        (5) A United States Department of Labor registered

 

 

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1    electrical apprenticeship program that provides training
2    to apprentices and continuing education to journey-level
3    workers may provide Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
4    Training Program training with their own Electric Vehicle
5    Infrastructure Training Program certified instructors. The
6    Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program
7    certification exam shall be administered by the Electric
8    Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program.
 
9    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
10becoming law.".