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1 | AN ACT concerning State government. | |||||||||||||||||||
2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly: | |||||||||||||||||||
4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | Powering Up Illinois Act. | |||||||||||||||||||
6 | Section 5. Definitions. In this Act: | |||||||||||||||||||
7 | "Electrification" means any new use of electricity, | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | expanded use of electricity, or change in use of electricity, | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | including, but not limited to, in the industrial, commercial, | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | agricultural, housing, or transportation sectors. | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | "Energization" and "energize" means connecting new | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | customers to the electrical grid, establishing adequate | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | electrical capacity to provide service for a new customer, or | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | upgrading electrical capacity to provide upgraded service to | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | an existing customer. The terms "energization" and "energize" | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | do not include activities related to connecting electricity | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | supply resources. | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | "Energization time period" means the elapsed time | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | beginning when the electrical corporation receives a | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | substantially complete energization project application and | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | ending when the electric service is installed and energized. | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | Section 10. Findings. The General Assembly finds and |
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1 | declares all of the following: | ||||||
2 | (1) It is the policy of the State to increase the use | ||||||
3 | of electric vehicles in the State to 1,000,000 by 2030. | ||||||
4 | That expanded infrastructure investment will help Illinois | ||||||
5 | more rapidly decarbonize the transportation sector. | ||||||
6 | Widespread use of electric vehicles and charging equipment | ||||||
7 | has the potential to provide customers with fuel cost | ||||||
8 | savings and provide electric utility customers with | ||||||
9 | cost-saving benefits. Widespread use of electric vehicles | ||||||
10 | stimulates innovation, competition, and increased choices | ||||||
11 | in charging equipment and networks and also attracts | ||||||
12 | private capital investments and creates high-quality jobs | ||||||
13 | in Illinois. Accelerating the adoption of electric | ||||||
14 | vehicles will drive the decarbonization of Illinois' | ||||||
15 | transportation sector. To meet these goals and federal, | ||||||
16 | State, regional, and local air quality and decarbonization | ||||||
17 | standards, plans, and regulations, a large increase in | ||||||
18 | both the quantity of electricity used and the functions | ||||||
19 | for which electricity will be used is needed. | ||||||
20 | (2) To meet these decarbonization goals as well as | ||||||
21 | federal, State, regional, and local air quality and | ||||||
22 | decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations, the | ||||||
23 | State's electrical distribution systems must be | ||||||
24 | substantially upgraded, new customers must promptly | ||||||
25 | connect to the electrical distribution system, and | ||||||
26 | existing customers must have their service level promptly |
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1 | upgraded. | ||||||
2 | (3) There are many reports of large housing | ||||||
3 | developments that are unable to be promptly energized. The | ||||||
4 | State has an urgent need to increase its supply of | ||||||
5 | housing, requiring both new electrical distribution | ||||||
6 | capacity and the prompt energization of new housing. | ||||||
7 | (4) There are many reports of individual customers who | ||||||
8 | are unable to have their electrical service promptly | ||||||
9 | upgraded or energized and charging stations for | ||||||
10 | light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles and | ||||||
11 | off-road vehicles, vessels, trains, and equipment that are | ||||||
12 | unable to be promptly energized. These delays may inhibit | ||||||
13 | the State's ability to meet its decarbonization goals and | ||||||
14 | federal, State, regional, and local air quality and | ||||||
15 | decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations. | ||||||
16 | (5) To improve the speed at which energization and | ||||||
17 | service upgrades are performed, electrical corporations | ||||||
18 | that distribute electricity must do both of the following: | ||||||
19 | (A) improve their advance planning, engineering, | ||||||
20 | and construction of increased distribution and | ||||||
21 | transmission system capacity; and | ||||||
22 | (B) preorder transformers, switchgear, and other | ||||||
23 | needed equipment. | ||||||
24 | (6) Electrifying transportation and buildings can put | ||||||
25 | downward pressure on rates by spreading fixed costs over | ||||||
26 | more kilowatt-hours of usage. |
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1 | (7) Delays in energization, including service | ||||||
2 | upgrades, are costly both to the customers awaiting | ||||||
3 | service and to other customers who are deprived of the | ||||||
4 | downward pressure on rates. | ||||||
5 | (8) To carry out the planning, engineering, and | ||||||
6 | construction of electrical distribution systems needed to | ||||||
7 | promptly serve customers, electrical corporations that | ||||||
8 | distribute electricity must recruit, train, and retain an | ||||||
9 | adequately sized, qualified workforce. | ||||||
10 | (9) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish | ||||||
11 | target deadlines for utilities that distribute electricity | ||||||
12 | to energize new customers and upgrade the service of | ||||||
13 | existing customers. | ||||||
14 | (10) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish | ||||||
15 | reporting requirements for electrical corporations that | ||||||
16 | distribute electricity to report the extent to which they | ||||||
17 | comply with the target deadlines and the reasons for any | ||||||
18 | noncompliance. | ||||||
19 | Section 15. Electrical distribution system upgrades. An | ||||||
20 | electrical corporation that operates within the State shall: | ||||||
21 | (1) upgrade the State's electrical distribution | ||||||
22 | systems as needed and in time to achieve the State's | ||||||
23 | decarbonization goals, and implement federal, State, | ||||||
24 | regional, and local air quality and decarbonization | ||||||
25 | standards, plans, and regulations; |
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1 | (2) comply with the obligation of the electrical | ||||||
2 | corporation to serve by conducting sufficient advance | ||||||
3 | planning, engineering, and construction of increased | ||||||
4 | distribution of system capacity and by preordering | ||||||
5 | transformers and other needed equipment so that customers | ||||||
6 | can be energized without substantial delay; | ||||||
7 | (3) promptly energize new customers, including by | ||||||
8 | ensuring that new housing, new businesses, and new | ||||||
9 | charging for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty | ||||||
10 | vehicles and off-road vehicles, vessels, trains, and | ||||||
11 | equipment can be used without delay caused by a failure of | ||||||
12 | the utility to implement energization projects; | ||||||
13 | (4) promptly upgrade service when needed by customers; | ||||||
14 | and | ||||||
15 | (5) recruit, train, and retain an adequately sized and | ||||||
16 | qualified workforce to carry out the planning, | ||||||
17 | engineering, and construction of electrical distribution | ||||||
18 | systems needed to promptly serve customers seeking | ||||||
19 | energization and service upgrades without sacrificing | ||||||
20 | other necessary activities of the workforce. | ||||||
21 | Section 20. Illinois Commerce Commission requirements. | ||||||
22 | (a) On or before 180 days after the effective date of this | ||||||
23 | Act, the Illinois Commerce Commission shall: | ||||||
24 | (1) Establish reasonable average and maximum target | ||||||
25 | energization time periods. The targets shall ensure that |
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1 | work is completed in a manner that minimizes delay in | ||||||
2 | meeting the date requested by the customer for completion | ||||||
3 | of the project to the greatest extent possible and | ||||||
4 | prioritizes work in a manner consistent with Sections 10 | ||||||
5 | and 15 of this Act. The targets may vary depending on the | ||||||
6 | complexity and magnitude of the work required and | ||||||
7 | uncertainties regarding the readiness of the customer | ||||||
8 | project needing energization. The targets may also | ||||||
9 | recognize any factors beyond the electrical corporation's | ||||||
10 | control. | ||||||
11 | (2) Establish requirements for an electrical | ||||||
12 | corporation to report to the Illinois Commerce Commission, | ||||||
13 | at least annually, in order to track and improve | ||||||
14 | electrical corporation performance. The report shall | ||||||
15 | include the average, median, and standard deviation time | ||||||
16 | between receiving an application for energizing the | ||||||
17 | electrical service, explanations for energization time | ||||||
18 | periods that exceed the target maximum for energization | ||||||
19 | projects, constraints, and obstacles to each type of | ||||||
20 | energization, including, but not limited to, funding | ||||||
21 | limitations, qualified staffing availability, or equipment | ||||||
22 | availability, and any other information requested by the | ||||||
23 | Illinois Commerce Commission. | ||||||
24 | (3) Establish a procedure for customers to report | ||||||
25 | energization delays to the Illinois Commerce Commission. | ||||||
26 | (b) If energization time periods exceed the Commission's |
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1 | target averages, or if the electrical corporation has a | ||||||
2 | substantial number of energization projects that exceed the | ||||||
3 | Commission's target maximums, the electrical corporation shall | ||||||
4 | include in its report pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection | ||||||
5 | (a) a strategy for meeting the targets in the future. The | ||||||
6 | Commission may request modification of the electrical | ||||||
7 | corporation's strategy to ensure that the electrical | ||||||
8 | corporation meets targets promptly and consistent with the | ||||||
9 | policies set forth in Section 10. | ||||||
10 | (c) Data reported by electrical corporations shall be | ||||||
11 | anonymized or averaged data to the extent necessary to prevent | ||||||
12 | identifying individual customers. The Commission shall require | ||||||
13 | all reports to be publicly available. | ||||||
14 | (d) The Commission shall require the electrical | ||||||
15 | corporation to take any remedial actions necessary to achieve | ||||||
16 | the Commission's targets, including the use of incentives or | ||||||
17 | penalties. | ||||||
18 | Section 25. Electrification team; staffing. | ||||||
19 | (a) The Commission shall require each electrical | ||||||
20 | corporation to establish a dedicated electrification team that | ||||||
21 | shall, at a minimum, do the following: | ||||||
22 | (1) serve as a single point of contact for customers | ||||||
23 | throughout the entire energization process; | ||||||
24 | (2) proactively engage with customers to understand | ||||||
25 | and support electrification plans; and |
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1 | (3) consolidate all transportation electrification | ||||||
2 | customer programs, accounts and relevant information to | ||||||
3 | support electrification and the energization process. | ||||||
4 | (b) The Commission shall require each electrical | ||||||
5 | corporation to have adequate qualified staffing needed for the | ||||||
6 | electrification team to be consistent with the findings and | ||||||
7 | achieve the policies and requirements of this Act. | ||||||
8 | (c) For job classifications that have apprentice training | ||||||
9 | requirements, the Commission shall require each electrical | ||||||
10 | corporation to maintain a pipeline of apprentices sufficient | ||||||
11 | to meet future qualified staffing needs, subject to any | ||||||
12 | limitations based on safe staffing ratios. | ||||||
13 | (d) As part of each report required pursuant to paragraph | ||||||
14 | (2) of subsection (a) of Section 20, and in each general rate | ||||||
15 | case application, each electrical corporation shall include a | ||||||
16 | detailed analysis of its current qualified staffing level and | ||||||
17 | future required qualified staffing level for each job | ||||||
18 | classification needed to achieve the policies and requirements | ||||||
19 | of this Act. | ||||||
20 | Section 30. Electrical corporation requirements. The | ||||||
21 | Commission shall require an electrical corporation to do the | ||||||
22 | following: | ||||||
23 | (1) consider, in its annual distribution planning process, | ||||||
24 | all of the following: | ||||||
25 | (A) federal, State, regional, and local air quality |
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1 | and decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations; | ||||||
2 | (B) the transportation and building electrification | ||||||
3 | policies of State law; | ||||||
4 | (C) State agency, local agency, and local government | ||||||
5 | plans and requirements related to housing, economic | ||||||
6 | development, critical facilities, transportation, and | ||||||
7 | building electrification; and | ||||||
8 | (D) load and electrification forecasts that include | ||||||
9 | the following: | ||||||
10 | (i) known load and projections of load conducted | ||||||
11 | by State agencies, and projections of load that exceed | ||||||
12 | forecasts conducted by State agencies, including the | ||||||
13 | Commission-led study as required by this Act; | ||||||
14 | (ii) includes a minimum of 3 time horizons | ||||||
15 | including short (1 to 2 years), medium (3 to 5 years), | ||||||
16 | and long-term (6 to 10 years); | ||||||
17 | (iii) includes multiple scenarios including | ||||||
18 | business-as-usual, meeting climate goals, and low, | ||||||
19 | medium, and high electrification; | ||||||
20 | (iv) hourly, feeder-level forecasts; and | ||||||
21 | (v) a consideration of the impact of distributed | ||||||
22 | energy resource forecasts and specifically, local | ||||||
23 | generation. | ||||||
24 | (2) Consider, in its site evaluation and design process, | ||||||
25 | all of the following: | ||||||
26 | (A) flexible interconnection such as automated load |
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1 | management, managed charging, and distributed energy | ||||||
2 | resources to defer or mitigate energization-related grid | ||||||
3 | upgrades; and | ||||||
4 | (B) if the above solutions cannot defer or mitigate an | ||||||
5 | upgrade, the electrical corporation may evaluate | ||||||
6 | traditional system upgrades. | ||||||
7 | (3) Adopt and implement rules and regulations to satisfy | ||||||
8 | the policies set forth in Section 20 and to meet the | ||||||
9 | energization time periods established pursuant to paragraph | ||||||
10 | (1) of subsection (a) of Section 20. | ||||||
11 | Section 35. Recovery of costs. The Commission shall ensure | ||||||
12 | that electrical corporations have sufficient and timely | ||||||
13 | recovery of costs to be consistent with the findings and | ||||||
14 | achieve the policies and requirements of this Act, including | ||||||
15 | for emergent electrification projects. | ||||||
16 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
17 | becoming law. |