97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB5694

 

Introduced 2/16/2012, by Rep. Arthur Turner

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Illinois Oil Independence Act. Creates the Illinois Oil Independence Commission. Sets forth the membership and terms of members of the Commission. Provides that the Commission shall develop a plan to reduce Illinois's dependence on oil. Provides that the Commission shall report to General Assembly by February 1, 2013 with recommendations for short-term and mid-term policies needed to achieve the overall reductions in oil use.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB5694LRB097 18722 PJG 65439 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Illinois Oil Independence Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. "Commission" means the Illinois
7Oil Independence Commission created under this Act.
 
8    Section 10. Illinois Oil Independence Commission.
9    (a) The Illinois Oil Independence Commission is created.
10The Commission shall be composed of the following members:
11        (1) four voting members, as follows:
12            (A) the Director of Commerce and Economic
13        Opportunity or his or her designee;
14            (B) the Chairman of the Board of the Regional
15        Transit Authority or his or her designee;
16            (C) the Secretary of Transportation or his or her
17        designee; and
18            (D) the Director of the Environmental Protection
19        Agency or his or her designee;
20        (2) four voting members, nominated and voted on by the
21    Commission's voting members appointed under paragraph (1)
22    of this subsection, as follows:

 

 

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1            (A) one with expertise in environmental issues;
2            (B) one with expertise in public transportation,
3        transit-oriented development, or transportation
4        policy;
5            (C) one with expertise in residential and
6        low-income energy provision; and
7            (D) one with expertise in sustainability planning;
8        (3) four voting members of the General Assembly
9    appointed as follows:
10            (A) one member of the House of Representatives to
11        be appointed by the Speaker of the House of
12        Representatives;
13            (B) one member of the House of Representatives to
14        be appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
15        Representatives;
16            (C) one member of the Senate to be appointed by the
17        President of the Senate; and
18            (D) one member of the Senate to be appointed by the
19        Minority Leader of the Senate; and
20        (4) three non-voting members appointed by the Governor
21    with relevant expertise as follows:
22            (A) one representing the University of Illinois;
23            (B) one representing the Center for Neighborhood
24        Technology; and
25            (C) one representing Argonne National
26        Laboratories.

 

 

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1    (b) Members of the Commission, with the exception of
2General Assembly members, shall be appointed for a term of 5
3years and may be reappointed. General Assembly members shall be
4appointed to 2 year terms and may be reappointed. The members
5shall elect one of the voting members to serve as chairperson
6of the Commission. The Commission meets at the call of the
7chair. A quorum is necessary for action by the Commission; 7
8voting members of the Commission constitute a quorum, unless a
9vacancy exists among the Commission's voting members. If a
10vacancy exists, then a quorum of the Commission consists of a
11simple majority of the voting members.
12    (c) Members of the Commission shall serve without
13compensation and may be reimbursed for travel and other actual
14expenses from funds appropriated for that purpose.
15    (d) The Commission shall have the following powers and
16duties:
17        (1) to develop near-term and long-range strategic
18    plans with respect to strategies to reduce petroleum
19    consumption from the heating and transportation sectors in
20    Illinois.
21        (2) to identify, promote, and recommend policies to
22    further reduce petroleum consumption in the State,
23    including but not limited to the strategies set forth in
24    Section 15.
25        (3) to consider other matters as it may deem
26    appropriate to the fulfillment of its purposes and to

 

 

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1    advise the Governor, the General Assembly, other parties,
2    and the public with regard to matters pertaining to its
3    purposes and duties, including its findings and
4    recommendations.
 
5    Section 15. Illinois oil independence plan. The Commission
6shall develop a plan to reduce Illinois's dependence on oil.
7The plan must include targets for reducing Illinois's total oil
8consumption that equal the maximum economically achievable oil
9savings. The targets may not provide for less than a 30%
10overall reduction in oil consumption from 2009 levels by 2030
11and a 50% overall reduction from 2009 levels by 2050. In
12establishing these targets, The Commission shall consider:
13        (1) the future oil and gasoline costs to the drivers,
14    homeowners, industries, and businesses in Illinois, as
15    well as the environmental and national security effects of
16    Illinois's oil dependence and the local economic
17    development opportunities, including job creation
18    potential, of improving energy efficiency and moving to
19    clean, renewable, made-in-Illinois energy sources; and
20        (2) The potential of oil savings from the following
21    strategies to improve energy efficiency and move to clean,
22    renewable energy:
23            (A) shifting freight transported in Illinois from
24        trucks to other transportation modes, including rail
25        and marine transportation;

 

 

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1            (B) the rapid deployment of electric vehicles,
2        through a combination of policies that include
3        comprehensive planning with utilities, investments in
4        electric vehicle infrastructure, consumer tax
5        incentives, and targeted deployment communities;
6            (C) establishing rebates or other consumer
7        incentives for retiring older, inefficient vehicles;
8            (D) coordinating land use and transportation
9        planning to encourage growth in areas accessible by
10        walking, biking, and public transportation;
11            (E) expanding and investing in public
12        transportation, including bus transit and high speed
13        rail, and offering incentives for commuters to use
14        public transportation where available;
15            (F) transitioning to renewable energy for heating,
16        including energy from off-shore wind, solar,
17        geothermal, tidal, and sustainable biomass;
18            (G) achieving home and commercial weatherization
19        and efficiency improvements;
20            (H) establishing additional policies and
21        incentives for industrial efficiency improvements,
22        including replacements of industrial boilers and other
23        steps to reduce petroleum consumption; and
24            (I) adopting other strategies that can help enable
25        Illinois to achieve the oil-reduction targets.
26    The Commission shall report to the General Assembly by

 

 

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1February 1, 2013 with recommendations for short-term and
2mid-term policies needed to achieve the overall reductions in
3oil use, including recommendations for specific legislative
4actions. The recommendations must require that, by January 15,
52015 and by January 15th every 5 years thereafter, the Governor
6shall evaluate the State's progress toward meeting the
7oil-reduction goals and make additional recommendations to the
8General Assembly as necessary to ensure that the State can meet
9the reduction goals.