Bill Text: IL HB2851 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task Force Act. Sets forth findings of the General Assembly Creates the Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall monitor the reliability of the Illinois power grid. Contains provisions concerning: the membership of the Task Force; duties of the Task Force; administrative support; and an annual report. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. Provides that the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury and shall be administered by the Illinois Power Agency. Provides that $10,000,000 shall be transferred from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund to the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund. Provides that the Agency shall award grants from the fund to carbon producing power plants for the construction of new carbon capture storage systems. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-03-10 - House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB2851 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB2851-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB2851 Introduced , by Rep. Dave Severin SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
20 ILCS 3855/1-129 new
30 ILCS 105/5.990 new
Creates the Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task Force Act. Sets forth findings of the General Assembly Creates the Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall monitor the reliability of the Illinois power grid. Contains provisions concerning: the membership of the Task Force; duties of the Task Force; administrative support; and an annual report. Amends the Illinois Power Agency Act. Provides that the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury and shall be administered by the Illinois Power Agency. Provides that $10,000,000 shall be transferred from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund to the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund. Provides that the Agency shall award grants from the fund to carbon producing power plants for the construction of new carbon capture storage systems. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund. Effective immediately.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning State government.
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
Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task Force Act.
Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly hereby finds,
determines, and declares the following:
(1) The reliability of the electricity grid of the
State is critically important to the consumers,
businesses, and all residents of this State and should not
be compromised.
(2) The State has taken definitive steps toward
redefining the generation mix in Illinois.
(3) The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc.
("MISO") is an independent, not-for-profit, member-based
organization responsible for operating the power grid
across 15 states and the Canadian province of Manitoba,
serving 42 million people.
(4) The PJM Interconnection LLC ("PJM"), is an
independent not-for-profit, member-based Regional
Transmission Organization ("RTO") that manages the
operations, supply, and movement of power across 13 states
and the District of Columbia, serving 65 million people.

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(5) The State is served by both PJM and MISO, which
collectively ensure that sufficient electric power
generation supply and transmission are available to meet
electric demand every minute of every day for over 107
million people across 28 states and 2 countries. Wholesale
electric power generation is regulated by the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission due to the interstate and
international nature of the transmission grid operated by
PJM and MISO. As such, policy changes at the State level
can affect the reliability, availability, and cost of
power for seniors, families, businesses, municipalities,
universities, and hospitals across the region.
(6) When natural disasters occur, such as ice storms,
blizzards, tornadoes, and hurricanes, states participating
in PJM and MISO have provided support to each other
through power generation restoration missions. The
inability to deliver power generation in critical times
can have a huge economic impact and can also result in
death across the PJM and MISO regional transmission
organizations.
(7) PJM and MISO have multiple markets in which power
suppliers participate. The capacity market, day-ahead
energy market, and frequency market are markets that power
generators participate in to ensure over 107,000,000
people across 28 states and 2 countries receive the right
amount of electricity every minute of every day.

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(A) Capacity markets are used in wholesale
electricity markets to pay resources for being
available to meet peak electricity demand. Capacity is
not actual electricity, but rather the ability to
produce electricity when called upon. Capacity is
procured, sometimes multiple years in advance of when
it is needed, based on projections of future energy
needs using historical demand requirements.
(B) The day-ahead energy market lets market
participants commit to buy or sell wholesale
electricity one day before the power is needed, to
help avoid price volatility. The real-time energy
market balances the differences between day-ahead
commitments and the actual real-time demand for and
production of electricity.
(C) The power grid operates, and shall be
maintained, at a constant frequency of 60 hertz.
Significant deviation from this level can result in
catastrophic damage to the power grid as well as
household appliances. Frequency is maintained when
electric generators automatically add or remove power
from the grid. For example, a large power plant
suddenly tripping offline reduces the total amount of
available kinetic energy, leading the rotating
generators on the system to start rotating less
rapidly and thereby decreasing the alternating current

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frequency across the grid system. Since a generator
turbine's rotational velocity is directly coupled to
the grid frequency, the generator's control systems
can sense this frequency decline as an indicator of
insufficient energy provision. The control system
within each power plant, which usually has been in the
form of a governor, can then automatically increase
the plant's power output. This process is autonomous
because the governor does not have to wait for a
central dispatcher to send a signal, thus bypassing
communications system delays.
(8) The shifting generation mix in PJM and MISO will
require optimum performance and an increased focus on the
need to retain reliability as certain existing generators
shut down operations and new, intermittent generators are
added. Additionally, increased power generation
consumption due to increased electric vehicles and
charging stations, along with increased electrification of
building heating needs, will undoubtedly place greater
demand on the power system.
(9) The State has a responsibility to ensure the
performance of State and regional power grids are safe,
reliable, and maintain the necessary capacity to meet the
power demands of residents of this State. Additionally,
the State has an obligation to do its part to ensure the
regional power grid is safe and reliable for its

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partnering states. As part of the regional power grid,
this State should be concerned that shuttered facilities
in this State will be replaced by higher cost, higher
emissions resources from other states.
Section 10. Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task
Force.
(a) The Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task
Force is created. The Task Force shall monitor the reliability
of the power grid of this State. The Task Force should consider
the present and future needs of consumers of this State while
simultaneously addressing any issues related to the
performance and reliability of power generation and
transmission and being mindful of the ultimate cost to
consumers.
(b) The duties and responsibilities of the Task Force
include the following:
(1) identifying and assessing policies, rules, and
laws that have the potential to significantly affect the
reliability of the State and regional power grids;
(2) developing a set of standards and conditions that
will ensure optimal performance of the State and regional
power grids based on new and emerging technologies;
(3) identifying opportunities to improve the power
supply mix in this State through existing and new laws to
ensure continued power reliability at affordable rates for

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consumers of this State;
(4) compiling research and best practices from other
states and countries on how to deploy technology to
benefit the performance and reliability of the power grid;
(5) developing tools to assess the impact of proposed
policies and evaluate their costs and benefits on
families, employers, the public, this State, and other
states as part of the Illinois and regional power grids;
(6) identifying data, reports, and relevant
information on the performance of the power grid to ensure
reliability and that pricing of power generation is in the
best interest of families, businesses, and communities in
this State;
(7) providing its findings and recommendations for
policy changes and any revisions to policies, rules, and
laws that will facilitate the stability and reliability of
the State and regional power grids on an annual basis to
the General Assembly; and
(8) developing and proposing legislative concepts to
ensure the future stability and reliability of the power
grid.
Section 15. Membership; meetings.
(a) The members of the Illinois Regional Generation
Reliability Task Force shall be composed of the following:
(1) three Senators appointed by the President of the

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Senate, one of whom shall be designated by the President
as the co-chair of the Task Force;
(2) three Representatives appointed by the Speaker of
the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be
designated by the Speaker as the co-chair of the Task
Force;
(3) three Senators appointed by the Minority Leader of
the Senate;
(4) three Representatives appointed by the Minority
Leader of the House of Representatives;
(5) one member appointed by the Governor whose sole
role is dedicated to energy policy for the State;
(6) one member of a State or local labor organization
appointed by the President of the Senate;
(7) one member of a State or local labor organization
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(8) one representative from PJM RTO designated by PJM;
(9) one representative from the PJM Independent Market
Monitor organization designated by the PJM Independent
Market Monitor organization;
(10) one representative from MISO RTO designated by
MISO;
(11) one representative from the MISO Independent
Market Monitor organization designated by the MISO
Independent Market Monitor organization;
(12) six representatives from 6 different power

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generation companies that operate in the PJM or MISO
regional transmission organization, 2 appointed by the
President of the Senate, 2 appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, one appointed by the Minority
Leader in the Senate, and one appointed by the Minority
Leader in the House of Representatives;
(13) one representative from a statewide organization
representing retail merchants appointed by the President
of the Senate;
(14) one representative from a statewide organization
representing manufacturers appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives;
(15) one representative from a statewide organization
representing retired people appointed by the Speaker of
the House of Representatives;
(16) one representative from a minority-owned
geothermal group appointed by the President of the Senate;
(17) one representative from a statewide organization
representing business appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives;
(18) two representatives from environmental law
groups, one appointed by the President of the Senate and
one appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives;
(19) the Director of the Illinois Power Agency, or the
Director's designee;

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(20) the Director of the Environmental Protection
Agency, or the Director's designee; and
(21) the Chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission, or
the Chair's designee.
(b) Appointments for the Task Force shall be made by
November 1, 2023. The Task Force shall hold 7 meetings
annually, either remotely or in person, and the first meeting
shall be held within 30 days after appointments are made.
(c) Members of the Task Force shall serve without
compensation.
(d) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall provide
administrative support to the Task Force in conjunction with
the independent market monitors for the MISO and PJM regional
transmission organizations.
Section 20. Annual report.
(a) The Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task
Force shall issue an annual report based upon its findings in
the course of performing its duties and responsibilities. The
report shall be written by the administrative staff of the
Task Force and with staff assistance from the independent
market monitors from the MISO and PJM regional transmission
organizations.
(b) The Illinois Regional Generation Reliability Task
Force shall submit its first report on April 1, 2024, and each
April 1 thereafter to the General Assembly upon the completion

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of its meeting schedule and shall continue to issue annual
reports each year.
Section 900. The Illinois Power Agency Act is amended by
adding Section 1-129 as follows:
(20 ILCS 3855/1-129 new)
Sec. 1-129. Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund.
(a) The Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund is created as a
special fund in the State treasury.
(b) The Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund shall be
administered by the Agency to award grants for the
construction of new carbon capture storage systems.
(c) As soon as practicable after the effective date of
this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly, $10,000,000
shall be transferred from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable
Energy Resources Fund to the Carbon Capture Infrastructure
Fund.
(d) The Agency shall award grants from the Carbon Capture
Infrastructure Fund to carbon producing power plants in this
State for the construction of new carbon capture storage
systems.
(e) The Agency shall adopt rules to implement this
Section.
Section 905. The State Finance Act is amended by adding

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Section 5.990 as follows:
(30 ILCS 105/5.990 new)
Sec. 5.990. The Carbon Capture Infrastructure Fund.
Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.