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1 | AN ACT concerning local government. | |||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | |||||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly: | |||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Section 5. The Township Code is amended by adding Section | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 110-11 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (60 ILCS 1/110-11 new) | |||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Sec. 110-11. Commercial solar and wind energy facilities. | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | (a) As used in this Section: | |||||||||||||||||||||
9 | "Commercial solar energy facility" means a "commercial | |||||||||||||||||||||
10 | solar energy system" as defined in Section 10-720 of the | |||||||||||||||||||||
11 | Property Tax Code. "Commercial solar energy facility" does not | |||||||||||||||||||||
12 | mean a utility-scale solar energy facility being constructed | |||||||||||||||||||||
13 | at a site that was eligible to participate in a procurement | |||||||||||||||||||||
14 | event conducted by the Illinois Power Agency pursuant to | |||||||||||||||||||||
15 | subsection (c-5) of Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | Act. | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | "Commercial wind energy facility" means a wind energy | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | conversion facility of equal or greater than 500 kilowatts in | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | total nameplate generating capacity. | |||||||||||||||||||||
20 | (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | Section 5-12020 of the Counties Code, a township may regulate | |||||||||||||||||||||
22 | commercial wind energy facilities, commercial solar energy | |||||||||||||||||||||
23 | facilities, or both. A township's power to regulate commercial |
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1 | wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities | ||||||
2 | includes all powers granted under Section 110-10 and the power | ||||||
3 | to prohibit commercial wind energy facilities, commercial | ||||||
4 | solar energy facilities, or both. | ||||||
5 | (c) To the extent that a township's regulation of | ||||||
6 | commercial wind energy facilities or commercial solar energy | ||||||
7 | facilities conflicts with a county's regulation of commercial | ||||||
8 | wind energy facilities or commercial solar energy facilities, | ||||||
9 | the township's regulations prevail. To the extent that a | ||||||
10 | township's regulation of commercial wind energy facilities or | ||||||
11 | commercial solar energy facilities conflict with a | ||||||
12 | municipality's regulation of commercial wind energy facilities | ||||||
13 | or commercial solar energy facilities, the municipality's | ||||||
14 | regulations prevail, including in the 1.5-mile radius | ||||||
15 | surrounding the municipality's zoning jurisdiction as provided | ||||||
16 | in Section 11-13-26 of the Illinois Municipal Code. | ||||||
17 | Section 10. The Renewable Energy Facilities Agricultural | ||||||
18 | Impact Mitigation Act is amended by changing Section 15 as | ||||||
19 | follows: | ||||||
20 | (505 ILCS 147/15) | ||||||
21 | Sec. 15. Agricultural impact mitigation agreement. | ||||||
22 | (a) A commercial renewable energy facility owner of a | ||||||
23 | commercial wind energy facility or a commercial solar energy | ||||||
24 | facility that is located on landowner property shall enter |
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1 | into an agricultural impact mitigation agreement with the | ||||||
2 | Department outlining construction and deconstruction standards | ||||||
3 | and policies designed to preserve the integrity of any | ||||||
4 | agricultural land that is impacted by commercial renewable | ||||||
5 | energy facility construction and deconstruction. The | ||||||
6 | construction and deconstruction of any commercial solar energy | ||||||
7 | facility shall be in conformance with the Department's | ||||||
8 | standard agricultural impact mitigation agreement referenced | ||||||
9 | in subsection (f) of this Section. Except as provided in | ||||||
10 | subsection (a-5) of this Section, the terms and conditions of | ||||||
11 | the Department's standard agricultural impact mitigation | ||||||
12 | agreement are subject to and may be modified by an underlying | ||||||
13 | agreement between the landowner and the commercial solar | ||||||
14 | energy facility owner. | ||||||
15 | (a-5) Prior to the commencement of construction, a | ||||||
16 | commercial solar energy facility owner shall submit to the | ||||||
17 | county or township in which the commercial solar facility is | ||||||
18 | to be located a deconstruction plan. A commercial solar energy | ||||||
19 | facility owner shall provide the county or township with an | ||||||
20 | appropriate financial assurance mechanism consistent with the | ||||||
21 | Department's standard agricultural impact mitigation agreement | ||||||
22 | for and to assure deconstruction in the event of an | ||||||
23 | abandonment of a commercial solar energy facility. | ||||||
24 | (b) The agricultural impact mitigation agreement for a | ||||||
25 | commercial wind energy facility shall include, but is not | ||||||
26 | limited to, such items as restoration of agricultural land |
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1 | affected by construction, deconstruction (including upon | ||||||
2 | abandonment of a commercial wind energy facility), | ||||||
3 | construction staging, and storage areas; support structures; | ||||||
4 | aboveground facilities; guy wires and anchors; underground | ||||||
5 | cabling depth; topsoil replacement; protection and repair of | ||||||
6 | agricultural drainage tiles; rock removal; repair of | ||||||
7 | compaction and rutting; land leveling; prevention of soil | ||||||
8 | erosion; repair of damaged soil conservation practices; | ||||||
9 | compensation for damages to private property; clearing of | ||||||
10 | trees and brush; interference with irrigation systems; access | ||||||
11 | roads; weed control; pumping of water from open excavations; | ||||||
12 | advance notice of access to private property; indemnification | ||||||
13 | of landowners; and deconstruction plans and financial | ||||||
14 | assurance for deconstruction (including upon abandonment of a | ||||||
15 | commercial wind energy facility). | ||||||
16 | (b-5) The agricultural impact mitigation agreement for a | ||||||
17 | commercial solar energy facility shall include, but is not | ||||||
18 | limited to, such items as restoration of agricultural land | ||||||
19 | affected by construction, deconstruction (including upon | ||||||
20 | abandonment of a commercial solar energy facility); support | ||||||
21 | structures; aboveground facilities; guy wires and anchors; | ||||||
22 | underground cabling depth; topsoil removal and replacement; | ||||||
23 | rerouting and permanent repair of agricultural drainage tiles; | ||||||
24 | rock removal; repair of compaction and rutting; construction | ||||||
25 | during wet weather; land leveling; prevention of soil erosion; | ||||||
26 | repair of damaged soil conservation practices; compensation |
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1 | for damages to private property; clearing of trees and brush; | ||||||
2 | access roads; weed control; advance notice of access to | ||||||
3 | private property; indemnification of landowners; and | ||||||
4 | deconstruction plans and financial assurance for | ||||||
5 | deconstruction (including upon abandonment of a commercial | ||||||
6 | solar energy facility). The commercial solar energy facility | ||||||
7 | owner shall enter into one agricultural impact mitigation | ||||||
8 | agreement for each commercial solar energy facility. | ||||||
9 | (c) For commercial wind energy facility owners seeking a | ||||||
10 | permit from a county , township, or municipality for the | ||||||
11 | construction of a commercial wind energy facility, the | ||||||
12 | agricultural impact mitigation agreement shall be entered into | ||||||
13 | prior to the public hearing required prior to a siting | ||||||
14 | decision of a county , township, or municipality regarding the | ||||||
15 | commercial wind energy facility. The agricultural impact | ||||||
16 | mitigation agreement is binding on any subsequent commercial | ||||||
17 | wind energy facility owner that takes ownership of the | ||||||
18 | commercial wind energy facility that is the subject of the | ||||||
19 | agreement. | ||||||
20 | (c-5) A commercial solar energy facility owner shall, not | ||||||
21 | less than 45 days prior to commencement of actual | ||||||
22 | construction, submit to the Department a standard agricultural | ||||||
23 | impact mitigation agreement as referenced in subsection (f) of | ||||||
24 | this Section signed by the commercial solar energy facility | ||||||
25 | owner and including all information required by the | ||||||
26 | Department. The commercial solar energy facility owner shall |
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1 | provide either a copy of that submitted agreement or a copy of | ||||||
2 | the fully executed project-specific agricultural impact | ||||||
3 | mitigation agreement to the landowner not less than 30 days | ||||||
4 | prior to the commencement of construction. The agricultural | ||||||
5 | impact mitigation agreement is binding on any subsequent | ||||||
6 | commercial solar energy facility owner that takes ownership of | ||||||
7 | the commercial solar energy facility that is the subject of | ||||||
8 | the agreement. | ||||||
9 | (d) If a commercial renewable energy facility owner seeks | ||||||
10 | an extension of a permit granted by a county or municipality | ||||||
11 | for the construction of a commercial wind energy facility | ||||||
12 | prior to the effective date of this Act, the agricultural | ||||||
13 | impact mitigation agreement shall be entered into prior to a | ||||||
14 | decision by the county or municipality to grant the permit | ||||||
15 | extension. | ||||||
16 | (e) The Department may adopt rules that are necessary and | ||||||
17 | appropriate for the implementation and administration of | ||||||
18 | agricultural impact mitigation agreements as required under | ||||||
19 | this Act. | ||||||
20 | (f) The Department shall make available on its website a | ||||||
21 | standard agricultural impact mitigation agreement applicable | ||||||
22 | to all commercial solar energy facilities within 60 days after | ||||||
23 | the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General | ||||||
24 | Assembly. | ||||||
25 | (g) Nothing in this amendatory Act of the 100th General | ||||||
26 | Assembly and nothing in an agricultural impact mitigation |
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1 | agreement shall be construed to apply to or otherwise impair | ||||||
2 | an underlying agreement for a commercial solar energy facility | ||||||
3 | entered into prior to the effective date of this amendatory | ||||||
4 | Act of the 100th General Assembly. | ||||||
5 | (Source: P.A. 99-132, eff. 7-24-15; 100-598, eff. 6-29-18.) | ||||||
6 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
7 | becoming law. |