SB 616 — UTILITIES-SERVICE RELIABILITY

Summary

Amends the Public Utilities Act. Requires each electric utility to submit to the Illinois Commerce Commission a non-emergency vegetation management schedule for the utility's service areas that is no more than 4 years in duration and that ensures that trees in all parts of the utility's service areas are trimmed at least once every 4 years. Provides that the Commission shall promulgate rules that develop service quality measures that require the quality and reliability to be the same as or better than levels that existed on July 1, 1996. Requires compensation for affected customers if more than 0.8% of the electric utility's total customers (now, more than 30,000 of the electric utility's customers) are subject to (i) a continuous interruption of power lasting 4 hours or more that results in the transmission of power at less than 50% of the standard voltage or that results in the total loss of power transmission or (ii) a power surge or other fluctuation that causes damage. Provides that the Illinois Commerce Commission shall require certain electric utilities or alternative retail electric suppliers to submit certain data concerning non-supervisory employees. Requires Commission rules to set forth (i) standards for inspecting, maintaining, and repairing certain electric generation facilities and electric transmission or distribution facilities and (ii) safety and reliability standards for certain electric generation facilities and electric transmission and distribution facilities. Provides that the Commission shall be authorized to levy financial penalties upon any entity that fails to meet the service quality and reliability standards of certain provisions. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Bill Text

• Introduced View text Current html

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill enhances the Public Utilities Act by establishing new requirements for vegetation management, reliability measures, and customer compensation for power interruptions.

• 220 ILCS 5/8-505.2

  Sec. 8-505.2. Non-emergency vegetation management; schedules; filings; annual reporting requirements. (a) Each electric utility shall submit to the Commission a vegetation management schedule for the utility's service areas. The schedule shall include the utility's non-emergency trimming schedule and shall be no more than 4 years in duration. The schedule must ensure that trees in all parts of the electric utility's service areas are trimmed at least once every 4 years. Within 30 days after the utility submits the schedule to the Commission, the Commission shall post the schedule on the Commission's web site on a separate page reserved exclusively for utility vegetation management schedules. (b) Each electric utility must submit an annual report to the Commission indicating what percentage of the utility's vegetation management schedule has been completed. Upon submitting the annual report, a representative of the utility shall sign and file with the Commission an affidavit that lists the number and nature of all complaints for the previous calendar year related to the ANSI A300 standards.

  This creates a new requirement for electric utilities to create and report a vegetation management schedule to ensure regular tree trimming.

• 220 ILCS 5/16-125(e)

  more than 30,000 of the electric utility's customers are subjected to (i) a continuous interruption of power lasting 4 hours or more that results in the transmission of power at less than 50% of the standard voltage or that results in the total loss of power transmission or (ii) a power surge or other fluctuation that causes damage. → more than 0.8% of the total customers of an electric utility are subjected to a continuous power interruption of 4 hours or more that results in the transmission of power at less than 50% of the standard voltage, or that results in the total loss of power transmission.

  This lowers the threshold for customer compensation eligibility from 30,000 customers to 0.8% of the total customer base.

• 220 ILCS 5/16-125(c)(2)

  Standards for inspecting, maintaining, and repairing each of the following: (i) Electric generation facilities in Illinois that are owned by public utilities or provide service to public utilities under contracts with terms of 2 years or more. (ii) Electric transmission or distribution facilities in this State that are owned by public utilities.

  This requires the establishment of maintenance and repair standards for electric generation and transmission facilities.

• 220 ILCS 5/16-125(c)(3)

  Standards that the Commission determines are necessary for the safe and reliable operation of each of the following: (i) Electric generation facilities in the State that are owned by public utilities or provide service to public utilities under contracts with terms of 2 years or more. (ii) Electric transmission or distribution facilities in this State that are owned by public utilities.

  This mandates the creation of safety and reliability standards for electric generation and transmission facilities.

• 220 ILCS 5/16-125(b)(7)

  the number of non-supervisory employees by classification or job title working at each calendar year's end at each headquarter, service area, reporting point, or plant and if the total number of non-supervisory employees is 1% or greater less than the preceding year’s report and a detailed explanation showing reasons for the decrease in employees and the effect on safety and reliability.

  This adds a reporting requirement for the number of non-supervisory employees and necessitates explanations for any significant reductions.

• 220 ILCS 5/16-125(b)

  These rules and regulations shall also, at a minimum, specifically require each jurisdictional entity to submit annually to the Commission.

  This specifies that annual submissions to the Commission regarding outage details must be mandated.

Action History

1. January 13, 2009

   Session Sine Die

2. December 03, 2007

   Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Rules

3. March 15, 2007

   Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading March 20, 2007

4. March 15, 2007

   Do Pass Environment and Energy; 011-000-000

5. March 08, 2007

   Postponed - Environment and Energy

6. March 01, 2007

   Held in Environment and Energy

7. February 21, 2007

   Assigned to Environment and Energy

8. February 08, 2007

   Referred to Rules

9. February 08, 2007

   First Reading

10. February 08, 2007

    Filed with Secretary by Sen. James F. Clayborne, Jr.

Sponsors

• Jr. James F. Clayborne · Cosponsor

Subjects