Public Act 099-0132
 
HB3523 EnrolledLRB099 09392 MLM 29599 b

    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Wind
Energy Facilities Agricultural Impact Mitigation Act.
 
    Section 5. Purpose. The primary purpose of this Act is to
promote the State's welfare by protecting landowners during the
construction and deconstruction of commercial wind energy
facilities.
 
    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
    "Abandonment" means when deconstruction has not been
completed within 18 months after the commercial wind energy
facility reaches the end of its useful life. For purposes of
this definition, a commercial wind energy facility will be
presumed to have reached the end of its useful life if (1) no
electricity is generated for a continuous period of 12 months
and (2) the commercial wind energy facility owner fails, for a
period of 6 consecutive months, to pay the landowner amounts
owed in accordance with the underlying agreement.
    "Agricultural impact mitigation agreement" means an
agreement between the commercial wind energy facility owner and
the Department of Agriculture described in Section 15 of this
Act.
    "Commercial wind energy facility" means a wind energy
conversion facility of equal or greater than 500 kilowatts in
total nameplate generating capacity. "Commercial wind energy
facility" includes a wind energy conversion facility seeking an
extension of a permit to construct granted by a county or
municipality before the effective date of this Act. "Commercial
wind energy facility" does not include a wind energy conversion
facility: (1) that has submitted a complete permit application
to a county or municipality and for which the hearing on the
completed application has commenced on the date provided in the
public hearing notice, which must be before the effective date
of this Act; (2) for which a permit to construct has been
issued before the effective date of this Act; or (3) that was
constructed before the effective date of this Act.
    "Commercial wind energy facility owner" means a private
commercial enterprise that owns or operates a commercial wind
energy facility.
    "Construction" means the installation, preparation for
installation, or repair of a commercial wind energy facility.
    "County" means the county where the commercial wind energy
facility is located.
    "Deconstruction" means the removal of a commercial wind
energy facility from the property of a landowner and the
restoration of that property as provided in the agricultural
impact mitigation agreement.
    "Department" means the Department of Agriculture.
    "Landowner" means any person (1) with an ownership interest
in property that is used for agricultural purposes and (2) that
is a party to an underlying agreement.
    "Underlying agreement" means the written agreement with a
landowner, including, but not limited to, an easement, option,
lease, or license, under the terms of which another person has
constructed, constructs, or intends to construct a commercial
wind energy facility on the property of the landowner.
 
    Section 15. Agricultural impact mitigation agreement.
    (a) A commercial wind energy facility owner of a commercial
wind energy facility located on landowner property shall enter
into an agricultural impact mitigation agreement with the
Department outlining construction and deconstruction standards
and policies designed to preserve the integrity of any
agricultural land that is impacted by commercial wind energy
facility construction and deconstruction.
    (b) The agricultural impact mitigation agreement shall
include, but is not limited to, such items as restoration of
agricultural land affected by construction, deconstruction
(including upon abandonment), construction staging, and
storage areas; support structures; aboveground facilities; guy
wires and anchors; underground cabling depth; topsoil
replacement; protection and repair of agricultural drainage
tiles; rock removal; repair of compaction and rutting; land
leveling; prevention of soil erosion; repair of damaged soil
conservation practices; compensation for damages to private
property; clearing of trees and brush; interference with
irrigation systems; access roads; weed control; pumping of
water from open excavations; advance notice of access to
private property; indemnification of landowners; and
deconstruction plans and financial assurance for
deconstruction (including upon abandonment).
    (c) For commercial wind energy facility owners seeking a
permit from a county or municipality for the construction of a
commercial wind energy facility, the agricultural impact
mitigation agreement shall be entered into prior to the public
hearing required prior to a siting decision of a county or
municipality regarding the commercial wind energy facility.
The agricultural impact mitigation agreement is binding on any
subsequent commercial wind energy facility owner that takes
ownership of the commercial wind energy facility that is the
subject of the agreement.
    (d) If a commercial wind energy facility owner seeks an
extension of a permit granted by a county or municipality for
the construction of a commercial wind energy facility prior to
the effective date of this Act, the agricultural impact
mitigation agreement shall be entered into prior to a decision
by the county or municipality to grant the permit extension.
    (e) The Department shall adopt rules that are necessary and
appropriate for the implementation and administration of
agricultural impact mitigation agreements as required under
this Act.
 
    Section 90. The Counties Code is amended by changing
Section 5-12020 as follows:
 
    (55 ILCS 5/5-12020)
    Sec. 5-12020. Wind farms. A county may establish standards
for wind farms and electric-generating wind devices. The
standards may include, without limitation, the height of the
devices and the number of devices that may be located within a
geographic area. A county may also regulate the siting of wind
farms and electric-generating wind devices in unincorporated
areas of the county outside of the zoning jurisdiction of a
municipality and the 1.5 mile radius surrounding the zoning
jurisdiction of a municipality. There shall be at least one
public hearing not more than 30 days prior to a siting decision
by the county board. Notice of the hearing shall be published
in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. A
commercial wind energy facility owner, as defined in the Wind
Energy Facilities Agricultural Impact Mitigation Act, must
enter into an agricultural impact mitigation agreement with the
Department of Agriculture prior to the date of the required
public hearing. A commercial wind energy facility owner seeking
an extension of a permit granted by a county prior to the
effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General
Assembly must enter into an agricultural impact mitigation
agreement with the Department of Agriculture prior to a
decision by the county to grant the permit extension. Counties
may allow test wind towers to be sited without formal approval
by the county board. Any provision of a county zoning ordinance
pertaining to wind farms that is in effect before the effective
date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly may
continue in effect notwithstanding any requirements of this
Section.
    A county may not require a wind tower or other renewable
energy system that is used exclusively by an end user to be
setback more than 1.1 times the height of the renewable energy
system from the end user's property line.
(Source: P.A. 95-203, eff. 8-16-07; 96-306, eff. 1-1-10;
96-566, eff. 8-18-09; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)
 
    Section 95. The Illinois Municipal Code is amended by
changing Section 11-13-26 as follows:
 
    (65 ILCS 5/11-13-26)
    Sec. 11-13-26. Wind farms.
    (a) A municipality may regulate wind farms and
electric-generating wind devices within its zoning
jurisdiction and within the 1.5 mile radius surrounding its
zoning jurisdiction. There shall be at least one public hearing
not more than 30 days prior to a siting decision by the
corporate authorities of a municipality. Notice of the hearing
shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the
municipality. A commercial wind energy facility owner, as
defined in the Wind Energy Facilities Agricultural Impact
Mitigation Act, must enter into an agricultural impact
mitigation agreement with the Department of Agriculture prior
to the date of the required public hearing. A commercial wind
energy facility owner seeking an extension of a permit granted
by a municipality prior to the effective date of this
amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly must enter into an
agricultural impact mitigation agreement with the Department
of Agriculture prior to a decision by the municipality to grant
the permit extension. A municipality may allow test wind towers
to be sited without formal approval by the corporate
authorities of the municipality. Test wind towers must be
dismantled within 3 years of installation. For the purposes of
this Section, "test wind towers" are wind towers that are
designed solely to collect wind generation data.
    (b) A municipality may not require a wind tower or other
renewable energy system that is used exclusively by an end user
to be setback more than 1.1 times the height of the renewable
energy system from the end user's property line. A setback
requirement imposed by a municipality on a renewable energy
system may not be more restrictive than as provided under this
subsection. This subsection is a limitation of home rule powers
and functions under subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII
of the Illinois Constitution on the concurrent exercise by home
rule units of powers and functions exercised by the State.
(Source: P.A. 95-203, eff. 8-16-07; 96-306, eff. 1-1-10.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.

Effective Date: 7/24/2015