SB0239 Engrossed LRB094 07417 MKM 37579 b

1     AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Public Utilities Act is amended by changing
5 Section 9-241 as follows:
 
6     (220 ILCS 5/9-241)  (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 9-241)
7     Sec. 9-241. No public utility shall, as to rates or other
8 charges, services, facilities or in other respect, make or
9 grant any preference or advantage to any corporation or person
10 or subject any corporation or person to any prejudice or
11 disadvantage. No public utility shall establish or maintain any
12 unreasonable difference as to rates or other charges, services,
13 facilities, or in any other respect, either as between
14 localities or as between classes of service.
15     However, nothing in this Section shall be construed as
16 limiting the authority of the Commission to permit the
17 establishment of economic development rates as incentives to
18 economic development either in enterprise zones as designated
19 by the State of Illinois or in other areas of a utility's
20 service area. Such rates should be available to existing
21 businesses which demonstrate an increase to existing load as
22 well as new businesses which create new load for a utility so
23 as to create a more balanced utilization of generating
24 capacity. The Commission shall ensure that such rates are
25 established at a level which provides a net benefit to
26 customers within a public utility's service area.
27     Prior to October 1, 1989, no public utility providing
28 electrical or gas service shall consider the use of solar or
29 other nonconventional renewable sources of energy by a customer
30 as a basis for establishing higher rates or charges for any
31 service or commodity sold to such customer; nor shall a public
32 utility subject any customer utilizing such energy source or

 

 

SB0239 Engrossed - 2 - LRB094 07417 MKM 37579 b

1 sources to any other prejudice or disadvantage on account of
2 such use. No public utility shall without the consent of the
3 Commission, charge or receive any greater compensation in the
4 aggregate for a lesser commodity, product, or service than for
5 a greater commodity, product or service of like character.
6     The Commission, in order to expedite the determination of
7 rate questions, or to avoid unnecessary and unreasonable
8 expense, or to avoid unjust or unreasonable discrimination
9 between classes of customers, or, whenever in the judgment of
10 the Commission public interest so requires, may, for rate
11 making and accounting purposes, or either of them, consider one
12 or more municipalities either with or without the adjacent or
13 intervening rural territory as a regional unit (i) where the
14 same public utility serves such region under substantially
15 similar conditions or (ii) where 2 or more public utilities
16 under the jurisdiction of the Commission, that are under the
17 same public utility holding company or that are affiliated with
18 each other, serve such region under substantially similar
19 conditions, and may within such region prescribe uniform rates
20 for consumers or patrons of the same class.
21     Any public utility, with the consent and approval of the
22 Commission, may as a basis for the determination of the charges
23 made by it classify its service according to the amount used,
24 the time when used, the purpose for which used, and other
25 relevant factors.
26 (Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)
 
27     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
28 becoming law.