(20 ILCS 3855/1-128)

Sec. 1-128. Nonprofit Electric Generation Task Force.

(a) By January 1, 2028, the Nonprofit Electric Generation Task Force shall be established to assess the technological, economic, and regulatory feasibility as well as legislative support mechanisms necessary to achieve the carbon emission reduction targets described in Section 9.15 of the Environmental Protection Act through the use of carbon capture, sequestration, and utilization technology.

(b) The Task Force shall consist of the following members:

(1) one representative of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate;

(2) one representative of an association representing municipal utilities, joint municipal electric power agencies, or municipal electric generators with an ownership interest in Prairie State Generating Company, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate;

(3) one representative of an association of electric cooperatives with ownership interests in Prairie State Generating Company, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate;

(4) one representative of a labor union or building trade with technical experience at a coal generation facility, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate;

(5) the Director of Natural Resources, or his or her designee;

(6) the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, or his or her designee;

(7) the Governor, or his or her designee;

(8) one expert in power sector reliability, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate;

(9) one expert in financing large scale power sector carbon reduction projects, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate;

(10) one designee of the President of the Senate;

(11) one designee of the Speaker of the House;

(12) one designee of the Senate Minority Leader; and

(13) one designee of the House Minority Leader.

(c) The Task Force shall have the following duties:

(1) investigating the technical and financial options to install carbon capture, sequestration, utilization, and direct air capture at the Prairie State Generation Campus;

(2) assessing the existing regulatory construct and any legislative support mechanisms necessary to reduce carbon at the Prairie State Generating Company in accordance with Section 9.15 of the Environmental Protection Act; and

(3) preparing and filing a report with the Governor and the General Assembly that sets forth the Task Force's findings.

(d) The Task Force may hire an independent third-party auditor with relevant financial expertise to conduct a financial audit of the Prairie State Generating Company, including an examination of potential financial solutions to alleviate the existing indirect debt obligations facing the joint indirect Prairie State Generating Company owners in Illinois. The audit shall include a review of the existing debt structure for the Prairie State Generating Company and the individual finances of each joint direct company owner in Illinois in order to recommend an appropriate and equitable method for allocating any funds, whether from the State or federal government, or any other legal source, that may be provided to support the joint indirect owners in Illinois. Any commercially sensitive information reviewed pursuant to this audit shall be reasonably redacted from the Task Force's final report and shall not be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)