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1 | AN ACT concerning energy.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Lake | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Michigan Wind Energy Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | finds: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | (1) that Lake Michigan is a unique and treasured public | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | asset that supports numerous activities for the benefit of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | people, wildlife, and flora of the State of Illinois; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | (2) that the bottom of Lake Michigan up to the mean | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | high-water line is public land held in trust for the people of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | the State of Illinois and cannot be alienated to a private use | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | or person; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | (3) that federal and State policy, as well as the national | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | security, energy, and environmental needs of the United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | and the people of the State of Illinois, support exploration | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | and development of renewable energy resources, including | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | offshore wind energy; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | (4) that the State of Illinois is a signatory to a federal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | and multistate memorandum of understanding and is committed to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | promoting the efficient, expeditious, orderly, and
responsible | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | evaluation of offshore wind power projects in the Great Lakes; |
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1 | (5) that wind above the Illinois public trust lands of Lake | ||||||
2 | Michigan is a unique and significant renewable energy resource; | ||||||
3 | (6) the development of that resource does not involve | ||||||
4 | mining or other extraction of resources from the public trust | ||||||
5 | lands of Lake Michigan; | ||||||
6 | (7) the provision of renewable energy from offshore wind, | ||||||
7 | if done in an environmentally responsible manner and without a | ||||||
8 | grant of any public trust lands of Lake Michigan, would serve a | ||||||
9 | primarily public purpose consistent with the public trust; and | ||||||
10 | (8) that the Lake Michigan Offshore Wind Energy Advisory | ||||||
11 | Council has recommended clarifying and confirming the State's | ||||||
12 | authority to permit such development and has made other | ||||||
13 | recommendations to further the responsible development of the | ||||||
14 | State's wind energy resources above Lake Michigan. | ||||||
15 | Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act: | ||||||
16 | "Public trust lands" means lands, on or above the bed | ||||||
17 | of Lake Michigan and below the mean high-water mark of Lake | ||||||
18 | Michigan, belonging to, or subsequently acquired by, the | ||||||
19 | State.
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20 | "Department" means the Department of Natural | ||||||
21 | Resources.
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22 | Section 15. Wind energy siting matrix. The Department shall | ||||||
23 | develop, by no later than December 31, 2014, a detailed | ||||||
24 | offshore wind energy siting matrix for the public trust lands |
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1 | of Lake Michigan, which shall, at a minimum, identify areas | ||||||
2 | that are unsuitable for wind energy development ("prohibited | ||||||
3 | areas"), areas that are most appropriate for wind energy | ||||||
4 | development ("preferred areas"), and areas that are neither | ||||||
5 | prohibited nor preferred for wind energy development but that | ||||||
6 | may be considered for development upon application ("possible | ||||||
7 | areas"). By a proposed rule, the Department may preliminarily | ||||||
8 | identify, in advance of completion of the wind energy siting | ||||||
9 | matrix, a limited number of prohibited areas, preferred areas, | ||||||
10 | and pilot project sites within the preferred areas. The | ||||||
11 | Department, in developing the wind energy siting matrix, shall | ||||||
12 | take into consideration existing environmental, marine, public | ||||||
13 | infrastructure, transportation, and security uses and factors, | ||||||
14 | and may also consider other factors it identifies as | ||||||
15 | appropriate. | ||||||
16 | Section 20. Offshore Wind Energy Economic Development | ||||||
17 | Policy Task Force. | ||||||
18 | (a) The Governor shall convene an Offshore Wind Energy | ||||||
19 | Economic Development Policy Task Force, to be chaired by the | ||||||
20 | Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or his or her | ||||||
21 | designee, to analyze and evaluate policy and economic options | ||||||
22 | to facilitate the development of offshore wind energy, and to | ||||||
23 | propose an appropriate Illinois mechanism for purchasing and | ||||||
24 | selling power from possible offshore wind energy projects. The | ||||||
25 | Task Force shall examine mechanisms used in other states and |
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1 | jurisdictions, including, without limitation, feed-in-tariffs, | ||||||
2 | renewable energy certificates, renewable energy certificate | ||||||
3 | carve-outs, power purchase agreements, and pilot projects. The | ||||||
4 | Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations to the | ||||||
5 | Governor and General Assembly by December 31, 2013.
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6 | (b) The Director of the Illinois Power Agency (or his or | ||||||
7 | her designee), the Executive Director of the Illinois Commerce | ||||||
8 | Commission (or his or her designee), and the Attorney General | ||||||
9 | (or his or her designee) shall serve as ex officio members of | ||||||
10 | the Task Force.
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11 | (c) The Governor shall appoint the following public members | ||||||
12 | to serve on the Task Force:
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13 | (1) one individual from an institution of higher | ||||||
14 | education in Illinois representing the discipline of | ||||||
15 | economics with experience in the study of renewable energy;
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16 | (2) one individual representing an energy industry | ||||||
17 | with experience in renewable energy markets;
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18 | (3) one individual representing a Statewide consumer | ||||||
19 | or electric ratepayer organization;
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20 | (4) one individual representing the offshore wind | ||||||
21 | energy industry;
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22 | (5) one individual representing the wind energy supply | ||||||
23 | chain industry;
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24 | (6) one individual representing an Illinois electrical | ||||||
25 | cooperative, municipal electrical utility, or association | ||||||
26 | of such cooperatives or utilities;
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1 | (7) one individual representing an Illinois industrial | ||||||
2 | union involved in the construction, maintenance, or | ||||||
3 | transportation of electrical generation, distribution, or | ||||||
4 | transmission equipment or components;
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5 | (8) one individual representing an Illinois commercial | ||||||
6 | or industrial electrical consumer;
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7 | (9) one individual representing an Illinois public | ||||||
8 | education electrical consumer;
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9 | (10) one individual representing an independent | ||||||
10 | transmission company;
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11 | (11) one individual from the Illinois legal community | ||||||
12 | with experience in contracts, utility law, municipal law, | ||||||
13 | and constitutional law;
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14 | (12) one individual representing a Great Lakes | ||||||
15 | regional organization with experience assessing or | ||||||
16 | studying wind energy;
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17 | (13) one individual representing a Statewide | ||||||
18 | environmental organization; | ||||||
19 | (14) one resident of the State representing an | ||||||
20 | organization advocating for persons of low or limited | ||||||
21 | incomes;
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22 | (15) one individual representing Argonne National | ||||||
23 | Laboratory; and
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24 | (16) one individual representing a local community | ||||||
25 | that has aggregated the purchase of electricity.
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26 | (d) The Governor may appoint additional public members to |
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1 | the Task Force. | ||||||
2 | (e) The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Minority | ||||||
3 | Leader of the House of Representatives,
Senate President, and | ||||||
4 | Minority Leader of the Senate shall each appoint one member of | ||||||
5 | the General Assembly to serve on the Task Force.
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6 | (f) Members of the Task Force shall serve without | ||||||
7 | compensation. | ||||||
8 | Section 25. Assessment permits. After finalizing the wind | ||||||
9 | energy siting matrix required under Section 15, the Department | ||||||
10 | may, in accordance with rules adopted by the Department | ||||||
11 | pursuant to Section 5-40 of the Illinois Administrative | ||||||
12 | Procedure Act and with the written approval of the Governor, | ||||||
13 | grant in the name of the State of Illinois permits and site | ||||||
14 | leases with respect to public trust lands of Lake Michigan for | ||||||
15 | the assessment of sites for offshore wind energy development. | ||||||
16 | An assessment permit and lease may be granted in advance of | ||||||
17 | completion of the wind energy siting matrix only for an area | ||||||
18 | preliminarily identified by a proposed rule of the Department | ||||||
19 | as a preferred area, and that preliminary identification shall | ||||||
20 | not be in any manner conclusive or precedential with respect to | ||||||
21 | ultimate classification of a site or any Department decision | ||||||
22 | authorized by this Act. | ||||||
23 | Section 30. Permits for wind park construction and | ||||||
24 | operation. The Department may, in accordance with rules adopted |
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1 | by the Department pursuant to Section 5-40 of the Illinois | ||||||
2 | Administrative Procedure Act, convert site assessment leases | ||||||
3 | to offshore wind park construction and operation leases, upon | ||||||
4 | an appropriate showing by the applicant that the construction | ||||||
5 | and operation of wind energy facilities would not be | ||||||
6 | inconsistent with the public trust. | ||||||
7 | The Department may insert into any permit or lease issued | ||||||
8 | under this Act any terms that it deems necessary to protect the | ||||||
9 | rights of the State, the public, lessees, and users of waters | ||||||
10 | above the public trust lands of Lake Michigan. | ||||||
11 | Section 35. Rulemaking. The Department may adopt, in | ||||||
12 | accordance with the requirements of Section 5-40 of the | ||||||
13 | Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, any rule that is | ||||||
14 | necessary to implement this Act. The rules adopted by the | ||||||
15 | Department under this Section shall, at a minimum, specify | ||||||
16 | permit fees and royalty schedules, requirements for bonding and | ||||||
17 | guaranteeing, requirements for decommissioning, and any other | ||||||
18 | requirements necessary for carrying out the provisions of this | ||||||
19 | Act. | ||||||
20 | Prior to adopting any rule under this Act, the Department | ||||||
21 | shall consult with the Illinois Environmental Protection | ||||||
22 | Agency, the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Illinois Power | ||||||
23 | Agency, and the Department of Commerce and Economic | ||||||
24 | Opportunity. |
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1 | Section 40. Regulatory toolkit. The Department shall, in | ||||||
2 | consultation with the Illinois Environmental Protection | ||||||
3 | Agency, the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Illinois Power | ||||||
4 | Agency, and the Department of Commerce and Economic | ||||||
5 | Opportunity, prepare and publish a toolkit for advising and | ||||||
6 | guiding developers on the regulatory and permitting process. | ||||||
7 | The toolkit shall, at a minimum, include a checklist of | ||||||
8 | required State permits and an overview of estimated timelines | ||||||
9 | and likely areas of concern. | ||||||
10 | Section 45. Limitation on Department Authority. Nothing | ||||||
11 | contained in this Act shall be construed as requiring or | ||||||
12 | permitting the Department to permanently convey any public | ||||||
13 | trust lands for energy development, or to permit on any | ||||||
14 | offshore public trust lands of Lake Michigan any development | ||||||
15 | other than for offshore wind.
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16 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
17 | becoming law.
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