Bill Text: IL SB3794 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Powering Up Illinois Act. Provides that an electrical corporation which operates in the State shall upgrade the State's electrical distribution systems in order to achieve the State's decarbonization standards. Provides that an electrical corporation shall be adequately staffed and recruit, train, and retain further staff as needed. Provides that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish reasonable average and maximum target energization time periods. Provides that the Commission shall establish requirements for an electrical corporation to report to the Commission, at least annually, to track and improve electrical corporation performance. Provides that the Commission shall require an electrical corporation to establish a dedicated electrification team. Sets forth requirements for an electrical corporation to consider when engaging in the annual distribution planning process. Provides that, in its site evaluation and design process, the Commission shall require an electrical corporation to consider flexible interconnection to defer or mitigate energization-related grid upgrades, but, if the solutions cannot defer or mitigate an upgrade, the corporation may evaluate traditional system upgrades. Provides that an electrical corporation may recover costs. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-19 - Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mike Simmons [SB3794 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB3794-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB3794 Introduced 2/9/2024, by Sen. Adriane Johnson SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
Creates the Powering Up Illinois Act. Provides that an electrical corporation which operates in the State shall upgrade the State's electrical distribution systems in order to achieve the State's decarbonization standards. Provides that an electrical corporation shall be adequately staffed and recruit, train, and retain further staff as needed. Provides that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish reasonable average and maximum target energization time periods. Provides that the Commission shall establish requirements for an electrical corporation to report to the Commission, at least annually, to track and improve electrical corporation performance. Provides that the Commission shall require an electrical corporation to establish a dedicated electrification team. Sets forth requirements for an electrical corporation to consider when engaging in the annual distribution planning process. Provides that, in its site evaluation and design process, the Commission shall require an electrical corporation to consider flexible interconnection to defer or mitigate energization-related grid upgrades, but, if the solutions cannot defer or mitigate an upgrade, the corporation may evaluate traditional system upgrades. Provides that an electrical corporation may recover costs. 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
Powering Up Illinois Act.
Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
"Electrification" means any new use of electricity,
expanded use of electricity, or change in use of electricity,
including, but not limited to, in the industrial, commercial,
agricultural, housing, or transportation sectors.
"Energization" and "energize" means connecting new
customers to the electrical grid, establishing adequate
electrical capacity to provide service for a new customer, or
upgrading electrical capacity to provide upgraded service to
an existing customer. The terms "energization" and "energize"
do not include activities related to connecting electricity
supply resources.
"Energization time period" means the elapsed time
beginning when the electrical corporation receives a
substantially complete energization project application and
ending when the electric service is installed and energized.
Section 10. Findings. The General Assembly finds and

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declares all of the following:
(1) It is the policy of the State to increase the use
of electric vehicles in the State to 1,000,000 by 2030.
That expanded infrastructure investment will help Illinois
more rapidly decarbonize the transportation sector.
Widespread use of electric vehicles and charging equipment
has the potential to provide customers with fuel cost
savings and provide electric utility customers with
cost-saving benefits. Widespread use of electric vehicles
stimulates innovation, competition, and increased choices
in charging equipment and networks and also attracts
private capital investments and creates high-quality jobs
in Illinois. Accelerating the adoption of electric
vehicles will drive the decarbonization of Illinois'
transportation sector. To meet these goals and federal,
State, regional, and local air quality and decarbonization
standards, plans, and regulations, a large increase in
both the quantity of electricity used and the functions
for which electricity will be used is needed.
(2) To meet these decarbonization goals as well as
federal, State, regional, and local air quality and
decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations, the
State's electrical distribution systems must be
substantially upgraded, new customers must promptly
connect to the electrical distribution system, and
existing customers must have their service level promptly

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upgraded.
(3) There are many reports of large housing
developments that are unable to be promptly energized. The
State has an urgent need to increase its supply of
housing, requiring both new electrical distribution
capacity and the prompt energization of new housing.
(4) There are many reports of individual customers who
are unable to have their electrical service promptly
upgraded or energized and charging stations for
light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles and
off-road vehicles, vessels, trains, and equipment that are
unable to be promptly energized. These delays may inhibit
the State's ability to meet its decarbonization goals and
federal, State, regional, and local air quality and
decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations.
(5) To improve the speed at which energization and
service upgrades are performed, electrical corporations
that distribute electricity must do both of the following:
(A) improve their advance planning, engineering,
and construction of increased distribution and
transmission system capacity; and
(B) preorder transformers, switchgear, and other
needed equipment.
(6) Electrifying transportation and buildings can put
downward pressure on rates by spreading fixed costs over
more kilowatt-hours of usage.

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(7) Delays in energization, including service
upgrades, are costly both to the customers awaiting
service and to other customers who are deprived of the
downward pressure on rates.
(8) To carry out the planning, engineering, and
construction of electrical distribution systems needed to
promptly serve customers, electrical corporations that
distribute electricity must recruit, train, and retain an
adequately sized, qualified workforce.
(9) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish
target deadlines for utilities that distribute electricity
to energize new customers and upgrade the service of
existing customers.
(10) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall establish
reporting requirements for electrical corporations that
distribute electricity to report the extent to which they
comply with the target deadlines and the reasons for any
noncompliance.
Section 15. Electrical distribution system upgrades. An
electrical corporation that operates within the State shall:
(1) upgrade the State's electrical distribution
systems as needed and in time to achieve the State's
decarbonization goals, and implement federal, State,
regional, and local air quality and decarbonization
standards, plans, and regulations;

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(2) comply with the obligation of the electrical
corporation to serve by conducting sufficient advance
planning, engineering, and construction of increased
distribution of system capacity and by preordering
transformers and other needed equipment so that customers
can be energized without substantial delay;
(3) promptly energize new customers, including by
ensuring that new housing, new businesses, and new
charging for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty
vehicles and off-road vehicles, vessels, trains, and
equipment can be used without delay caused by a failure of
the utility to implement energization projects;
(4) promptly upgrade service when needed by customers;
and
(5) recruit, train, and retain an adequately sized and
qualified workforce to carry out the planning,
engineering, and construction of electrical distribution
systems needed to promptly serve customers seeking
energization and service upgrades without sacrificing
other necessary activities of the workforce.
Section 20. Illinois Commerce Commission requirements.
(a) On or before 180 days after the effective date of this
Act, the Illinois Commerce Commission shall:
(1) Establish reasonable average and maximum target
energization time periods. The targets shall ensure that

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work is completed in a manner that minimizes delay in
meeting the date requested by the customer for completion
of the project to the greatest extent possible and
prioritizes work in a manner consistent with Sections 10
and 15 of this Act. The targets may vary depending on the
complexity and magnitude of the work required and
uncertainties regarding the readiness of the customer
project needing energization. The targets may also
recognize any factors beyond the electrical corporation's
control.
(2) Establish requirements for an electrical
corporation to report to the Illinois Commerce Commission,
at least annually, in order to track and improve
electrical corporation performance. The report shall
include the average, median, and standard deviation time
between receiving an application for energizing the
electrical service, explanations for energization time
periods that exceed the target maximum for energization
projects, constraints, and obstacles to each type of
energization, including, but not limited to, funding
limitations, qualified staffing availability, or equipment
availability, and any other information requested by the
Illinois Commerce Commission.
(3) Establish a procedure for customers to report
energization delays to the Illinois Commerce Commission.
(b) If energization time periods exceed the Commission's

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target averages, or if the electrical corporation has a
substantial number of energization projects that exceed the
Commission's target maximums, the electrical corporation shall
include in its report pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection
(a) a strategy for meeting the targets in the future. The
Commission may request modification of the electrical
corporation's strategy to ensure that the electrical
corporation meets targets promptly and consistent with the
policies set forth in Section 10.
(c) Data reported by electrical corporations shall be
anonymized or averaged data to the extent necessary to prevent
identifying individual customers. The Commission shall require
all reports to be publicly available.
(d) The Commission shall require the electrical
corporation to take any remedial actions necessary to achieve
the Commission's targets, including the use of incentives or
penalties.
Section 25. Electrification team; staffing.
(a) The Commission shall require each electrical
corporation to establish a dedicated electrification team that
shall, at a minimum, do the following:
(1) serve as a single point of contact for customers
throughout the entire energization process;
(2) proactively engage with customers to understand
and support electrification plans; and

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(3) consolidate all transportation electrification
customer programs, accounts and relevant information to
support electrification and the energization process.
(b) The Commission shall require each electrical
corporation to have adequate qualified staffing needed for the
electrification team to be consistent with the findings and
achieve the policies and requirements of this Act.
(c) For job classifications that have apprentice training
requirements, the Commission shall require each electrical
corporation to maintain a pipeline of apprentices sufficient
to meet future qualified staffing needs, subject to any
limitations based on safe staffing ratios.
(d) As part of each report required pursuant to paragraph
(2) of subsection (a) of Section 20, and in each general rate
case application, each electrical corporation shall include a
detailed analysis of its current qualified staffing level and
future required qualified staffing level for each job
classification needed to achieve the policies and requirements
of this Act.
Section 30. Electrical corporation requirements. The
Commission shall require an electrical corporation to do the
following:
(1) consider, in its annual distribution planning process,
all of the following:
(A) federal, State, regional, and local air quality

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and decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations;
(B) the transportation and building electrification
policies of State law;
(C) State agency, local agency, and local government
plans and requirements related to housing, economic
development, critical facilities, transportation, and
building electrification; and
(D) load and electrification forecasts that include
the following:
(i) known load and projections of load conducted
by State agencies, and projections of load that exceed
forecasts conducted by State agencies, including the
Commission-led study as required by this Act;
(ii) includes a minimum of 3 time horizons
including short (1 to 2 years), medium (3 to 5 years),
and long-term (6 to 10 years);
(iii) includes multiple scenarios including
business-as-usual, meeting climate goals, and low,
medium, and high electrification;
(iv) hourly, feeder-level forecasts; and
(v) a consideration of the impact of distributed
energy resource forecasts and specifically, local
generation.
(2) Consider, in its site evaluation and design process,
all of the following:
(A) flexible interconnection such as automated load

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management, managed charging, and distributed energy
resources to defer or mitigate energization-related grid
upgrades; and
(B) if the above solutions cannot defer or mitigate an
upgrade, the electrical corporation may evaluate
traditional system upgrades.
(3) Adopt and implement rules and regulations to satisfy
the policies set forth in Section 20 and to meet the
energization time periods established pursuant to paragraph
(1) of subsection (a) of Section 20.
Section 35. Recovery of costs. The Commission shall ensure
that electrical corporations have sufficient and timely
recovery of costs to be consistent with the findings and
achieve the policies and requirements of this Act, including
for emergent electrification projects.