Amends the Energy Transition Act. Provides that the Clean Jobs Workforce Hubs Network shall incorporate targeted outreach, recruitment, training, and placement services specifically for participants seeking careers within the climate, environmental, and clean energy sector. Defines "climate, environmental, and clean energy sector". Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall collect, track, and report certain information concerning the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program. Provides that the information shall be disaggregated by race, gender, geography, and equity status.
Creates the Solar Energy Reliability and Affordability Checkoff Program Act. Sets forth findings. Defines terms. Creates the Solar Energy Reliability and Affordability Fund. Provides that the Fund may receive deposits of moneys collected by the Department of Agriculture under provisions of the Act concerning the collection of solar energy fees. Creates the Solar Energy Reliability and Affordability Board appointed by the Governor to administer and manage the Fund. Sets forth membership requirements of the Board. Provides that the Board shall ensure that assessments collected under the Act are used for the creation and publication of research, communication, marketing, and education programs that promote accurate information related to, emphasize the clean energy benefits and affordability of, and promote the adoption of solar energy systems and energy storage systems, which may include the funding of third-party organizations for these purposes and any related activities to carry out the programs as proposed by the Board. Requires each owner, operator, or developer of a solar energy system to pay a 2 cents per watt assessment on all solar energy systems sold for installation within the State to the Department of Agriculture. Provides that assessments are payable directly to the Board and shall be paid when a commercial renewable energy facility owner enters into an agricultural impact mitigation agreement as required under the Renewable Energy Facilities Agricultural Impact Mitigation Act. Requires the Board to publish an annual financial and activities report. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Solar Energy Reliability and Affordability Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Effective immediately.
Amends the Public Utilities Act. In provisions concerning the recovery of costs associated with the provision of delivery and other services, provide that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall, within 180 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, initiate and complete a rulemaking proceeding to revise 83 Ill. Adm. Code 466 and 83 Ill. Adm. Code 467 to address barriers to timely and cost-effective interconnections for distributed generation facilities with a nameplate capacity of at least 40 kilowatts but no greater than 2 megawatts, including stand-alone solar photovoltaic systems, battery energy storage, hybrid gas-electric systems, and renewable natural gas integrations. Requires the revisions to include certain factors. Provides that the Commission shall coordinate the revisions with a Future of Gas proceeding pursuant to the final Order of the Commission in Docket No. 24-0158 to ensure compatibility with gas decarbonization pathways and to prioritize market-driven distributed resources that enhance reliability and affordability. Provides that the revised rules shall take effect no later than July 1, 2026. Effective immediately.
Creates the Illinois Appliance Standards Act. Directs the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to adopt minimum efficiency standards for covered products. Provides for testing, certification, and labeling of covered products. Contains provisions concerning enforcement of the Act's requirements. Provides for administrative rulemaking by the Agency. Makes findings. Defines terms.
Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Deletes a provision concerning the express prohibition of a municipality's adoption of any ordinance or resolution or the exercise of any power that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting the installation of a solar energy system or low-voltage solar-powered devices. Provides that a municipality may regulate or prohibit the installation of a solar energy system or low-voltage solar-powered devices in a way that is consistent with the municipality's comprehensive plan or zoning authority.
Amends the Counties Code. Provides that a commercial wind energy facility or commercial solar energy facility proposed to be located on property in an unincorporated area of the county within the zoning jurisdiction of a municipality and located adjacent to the corporate boundary of a municipality shall either be annexed to the municipality or be subject to the municipality's zoning regulations. Provides factors for determining if a request for siting approval or a special use permit for a commercial wind energy facility or a commercial solar energy facility or a request for modification of an approved siting or special use permit complies with the standards and conditions imposed in the Code, the zoning ordinance adopted consistent with the Code, and the conditions imposed under State and federal statutes and regulations. Provides that a county may not approve a request for siting approval or a special use permit for a commercial wind energy facility or a commercial solar energy facility or modification of an approved siting or special use permit, if the proposal shall disturb more than one acre of land, unless the facility owner has obtained a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES") permit from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Requires a facility owner to provide the county where a commercial solar energy facility or commercial wind energy facility is to be located with a deconstruction plan that has been prepared by a professional engineer who has been selected by the facility owner. Provides that, based on an initial evaluation or reevaluation during the county approval process, the county may require changes in the level of financial assurance from the facility owner. Amends the Renewable Energy Facilities Agricultural Impact Mitigation Act. Provides that the standard agricultural impact mitigation agreements shall be amended as needed to conform with the financial assurance procedures and requirements of specified provisions of the Code. Makes other changes.
Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. Establishes the data center self-direct program to allow for customers taking service under the data center tariff to receive a reduction in the charges collected for the procurement of renewable energy resources. Provides that the reduction in charges available to the customer shall increase based on the energy or capacity value of the new additive clean energy generation's contribution pursuant to the specified requirements. Provides that the Illinois Power Agency may require that participating customers provide annual reports related to facility operation and performance, customer electricity consumption and load profiles, and other information as necessary. Amends the Public Utilities Act. Provides that, on or after January 1, 2027, at least 180 days prior to commencing any construction activities, the data center operator of a proposed data center shall submit a data center disclosure to the Illinois Commerce Commission. Establishes publication and open meeting requirements concerning the data center disclosures. On and after January 1, 2027, requires all data centers operating within the State to maintain water consumption data to submit annual disclosures of the data center's water usage to the Department of Natural Resources. Requires the Department of Natural Resources to make an aggregated and anonymized form of data disclosed to it available on a publicly accessible website. Provides that data centers that fail to comply with any disclosure requirements under the Act may be subject to fines of up to $10,000 per violation. Requires the Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Commerce Commission to adopt implementing rules. Requires a specified electric utility to, no later than 90 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, make a filing with the Commission that proposes revenue-neutral tariff changes, which shall present the Commission with an opportunity to suspend the tariffs and consider revenue-neutral tariff changes related to rate design. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
Creates the Wind Turbine Stewardship and Takeback Program Act. Provides that, on and after January 1, 2028, a wind turbine owner shall participate in a wind turbine stewardship and takeback program under which, where realistic, the wind turbine owner shall recycle wind turbine components that are not toxic after their useful life instead of disposing them in landfills. Requires wind turbine owners to file plans for the wind turbine stewardship and takeback program with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Provides that the Agency shall develop guidance for wind turbine stewardship and takeback programs established under the Act. Allows the Agency to adopt rules to implement the Act.
Amends the Illinois Finance Authority Act. Provides that the Illinois Finance Authority shall have power to issue revenue bonds for energy storage projects that seek State-level energy storage credits or utility cost recovery. Provides that the Authority shall coordinate with the Illinois Power Agency to ensure that the financing terms of the revenue bonds are structured to minimize costs to State ratepayers. In provisions concerning Clean Coal, Coal, Energy Efficiency, PACE, and Renewable Energy Project financing, provides that bonds issued by the Authority shall be limited obligations of the Authority and payable solely from the revenues and receipts derived from the energy storage projects for which the bonds are issued. Requires the bonds to contain on their face a certain statement. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. In provisions concerning the Planning and Procurement Bureau, provides that an energy storage project shall not be eligible for the procurement of energy storage credits under provisions concerning the equity accountability system unless the owner or developer of the energy storage project demonstrates, as a condition of bid eligibility, that the energy storage project's long-term debt financing is secured through bonds issued by the Authority. Provides that the Agency shall not execute any procurement plan or enter into contracts for energy storage or renewable energy credits that would result in the average retail customer's bill exceeding cost-control caps set forth in certain provisions of the Public Utilities Act, unless the excess amount is approved by the General Assembly. Amends the Public Utilities Act. Requires the Illinois Commerce Commission to conduct an annual Energy Affordability and Rate Impact Study. Sets forth requirements for the content of the Study. In provisions concerning distributed generation rebates, provides that, if a Multi-Year Integrated Grid Plan or any subsequent integrated resource plan submitted by a utility or the Commission includes a proposal to increase, suspend, or otherwise exceed any existing statutory rate caps or cost-control benchmarks in certain provisions of the Act, such adjustment shall not take effect unless specifically approved by a joint resolution of the General Assembly. Amends the Environmental Protection Act by repealing provisions concerning greenhouse gases. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
Creates the Electric Transmission Facilities Siting Act. Defines terms. Requires that, in the siting of new electric transmission facilities, available corridors be used in the following order of priority: (1) existing public utility corridors; (2) highway corridors; and (3) new corridors. Provides that a public utility or developer may construct, place, or maintain a high-voltage electric service line on a public right-of-way or along a highway if (i) the public utility or developer submits a colocation request for the high-voltage electric service line to the Secretary of Transportation and (ii) the Secretary reviews and approves the colocation request. Requires a public utility or developer to develop a constructability report in consultation with the Department of Transportation and requires the public utility or developer and the Department to follow the terms and conditions of the constructability report during the planning and approval process for the siting of a high-voltage electric service line. Sets forth requirements for the content of the constructability report. Amends the Public Utilities Act. In provisions concerning distributed generation rebates, provides that the owner or operator of distributed generation that, before January 1, 2025 (rather than before the threshold date), is eligible for net metering under the Act may apply for a base rebate for an associated energy storage device behind the same retail customer meter as the distributed generation, regardless of whether the distributed generation applies for a rebate for the distributed generation device. Provides that, after the threshold date, a stand-alone energy storage system that is neither paired with distributed generation nor with any electric load beyond the electric load that is used by the energy storage system itself (rather than a stand-alone energy storage system) shall be compensated with a rebate of $250 per kilowatt-hour of nameplate capacity. Amends the Environmental Protection Act. In provisions concerning greenhouse gases, provides that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Power Agency shall file a plan to reduce or delay certain emissions reductions requirements with the Illinois Commerce Commission for review in conjunction with the integrated resource plan under certain provisions of the Public Utilities Act. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
