Bill H.B. 2607 / S.B. 1485 First reading February 19, 2015 | Bill published on February 19, 2015 | |
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Citation Bill Status of HB2607 - 99th General Assembly Introduced by Representative Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook)
Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) | ||
The Illinois Clean Jobs Bill is a renewable-energy bill introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives (H.B. 2607) and Illinois Senate (S.B. 1485). The bill was sponsored by Democratic state senator Don Harmon of Oak Park and Democratic state representative Elaine Nekritz of Northbrook.
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Proponents of the bill have nicknamed it the "Clean Jobs Bill"; they promise to create tens of thousands of new jobs in Illinois if the bill is passed and signed into law. Some supporters claim that it would create 32,000 new jobs. Bill supporters claim that passage of the bill will cause energy demand to decrease by twenty percent by the year 2025. Some proponents claim that the bill would "enable solar and wind energy projects to flourish."
However, under the state of Illinois' current energy efficiency law, utility companies pass on new costs to customers. If the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill passed, households and businesses that use electricity would pay more money to subsidize the cost of wind turbines and other renewable energy sources.
As of June 2015, the bill is stalled in the legislature.
Background
In 1983, the Illinois state government created the Illinois Citizens Utility Board (CUB). The purpose of the board was to serve as an advocacy group to help households deal with energy prices. The original law that created the CUB mandated one seat on the CUB board for each congressional district. Currently, only nine of Illinois' 18 districts have a representative on the board.
In 2013, CUB had an income of $1.3 million and expenses of $1.9 million, amounting to a deficit of over $600,000.
Currently, the state's energy supply comes from a variety of sources. Renewable energy accounts for seven percent.
The state’s current energy efficiency policy statement includes a declaration: “It serves the public interest to allow electric utilities to recover costs for reasonably and prudently incurred expenses for energy efficiency and demand response measures.”
On February 19, 2015, the bill was introduced in the Illinois General Assembly. The main sponsors in the Illinois Senate are state senators Don Harmon, David Koehler, and Jacqueline Collins. The main sponsors of the bill in the Illinois House are state representatives Elaine Nekritz, Robyn Gabel, Michael Fortner, and Christian Mitchell.
The bill would change the state's energy efficiency policies; change standards to try to lower electricity use across Illinois; and change "on-bill financing" and "real-time pricing programs" with the goal of lowering consumers' electricity costs.
In March 2015, a state senate committee voted on the bill. The only senator to vote "no" was Republican Kyle McCarter of Lebanon. In an interview with the Madison County Record, McCarter said, "If we shift to 35 percent the cost is going to be outrageous." His remark referred to the bill's mandate to change the state government goal for renewable energy to 35 percent of all energy used in Illinois by the year 2030.
Supporters
Supporters of the legislation formed a group called the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition. The group boasts over 150 members. Members are a for-profit companies that sell products and services related to renewable energy, as well as political advocacy groups.
For example, for-profit companies that are members of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition include:
According to the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, "The bill provides a range of tools to help customers and the environment, including the option of a market-based mechanism to limit carbon pollution." The bill would increase the state's requirement for how much energy in Illinois comes from renewable sources (known as the "Renewable Portfolio Standard"). The current state government goal is 25 percent by 2025. The bill would change that goal to 35 percent by 2030.
One of the most influential non-government advocates of the bill is Duck Munson, the director of the Midwest Clean Energy program for the Environmental Defense Fund.
Synopsis
The Illinois General Assembly provides the following synopsis of the legislation (the text provided below is a direct quote):
Amendments to Illinois Compiled Statutes
The legislation would amend the following state statutes: