50 ILCS 65/ - Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Planning Act.

(50 ILCS 65/Art. 5 heading)

Article 5. Energy Transition
(The Energy Transition Act is compiled at 20 ILCS 730/) (Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/Art. 10 heading)

Article 10. Energy Community Reinvestment Act
(The Energy Community Reinvestment Act is compiled at 20 ILCS 735/)(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/Art. 15 heading)

Article 15. Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Planning Act
(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/15-1)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)

Sec. 15-1. Short title. This Article may be cited as the Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Planning Act. References in this Article to “this Act” mean this Article.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/15-5)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)

Sec. 15-5. Findings. The General Assembly makes the following findings:

(1) The health, welfare, and prosperity of Illinois residents require that Illinois take all steps possible to combat climate change, address harmful environmental impacts deriving from the generation of electricity, maximize quality job creation in the emerging clean energy economy, ensure affordable utility service, equitable and affordable access to transportation, and clean, safe, and affordable housing.
(2) The achievement of these goals will depend on strong community engagement to ensure that programs and policy solutions meet the needs of disparate communities.
(3) Ensuring that these goals are met without adverse impacts on utility bill affordability, housing affordability, and other essential services will depend on the coordination of policies and programs within local communities.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/15-10)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)

Sec. 15-10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

“Alternative energy improvement” means the installation or upgrade of electrical wiring, outlets, or charging stations to charge a motor vehicle that is fully or partially powered by electricity; photovoltaic, energy storage, or thermal resource; or any combination thereof.

“Disadvantaged worker” means an individual who is defined as: (1) being homeless; (2) being a custodial single parent; (3) being a recipient of public assistance; (4) lacking a high school diploma or high school equivalency; (5) having a criminal record or other involvement in the criminal justice system; (6) suffering from chronic unemployment; (7) being previously in the child welfare system; or (8) being a veteran.

“Energy efficiency improvement” means equipment, devices, or materials intended to decrease energy consumption or promote a more efficient use of electricity, natural gas, propane, or other forms of energy on property, including, but not limited to:

(1) insulation in walls, roofs, floors, foundations, or heating and cooling distribution systems;
(2) storm windows and doors, multi-glazed windows and doors, heat-absorbing or heat-reflective glazed and coated window and door systems, and additional glazing, reductions in glass area, and other window and door system modifications that reduce energy consumption;
(3) automated energy control systems;
(4) high efficiency heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning and distribution system modifications or replacements;
(5) caulking, weather-stripping, and air sealing;
(6) replacement or modification of lighting fixtures to reduce the energy use of the lighting system;
(7) energy controls or recovery systems;
(8) day lighting systems;
(9) any energy efficiency project, as defined in Section 825-65 of the Illinois Finance Authority Act; and
(10) any other installation or modification of equipment, devices, or materials approved as a utility cost-saving measure by the governing body.

“Energy project” means the installation or modification of an alternative energy improvement, energy efficiency improvement, or water use improvement, or the acquisition, installation, or improvement of a renewable energy system that is affixed to a stabilized existing property, including new construction.

“Environmental justice communities” means the proposed definition of that term based on existing methodologies and findings used by the Illinois Power Agency and its Administrator in its Illinois Solar for All Program.

“Equity investment eligible community” or “eligible community” are synonymous and mean the geographic areas throughout Illinois which would most benefit from equitable investments by the State designed to combat discrimination and foster sustainable economic growth. Specifically, eligible communities shall be defined as the following areas:

(1) R3 Areas as established pursuant to Section 10-40 of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, where residents have historically been excluded from economic opportunities, including opportunities in the energy sector; and
(2) Environmental justice communities, as defined by the Illinois Power Agency pursuant to the Illinois Power Agency Act, where residents have historically been subject to disproportionate burdens of pollution, including pollution from the energy sector.

“Equity investment eligible person” or “eligible person” are synonymous and mean the persons who would most benefit from equitable investments by the State designed to combat discrimination and foster sustainable economic growth. Specifically, “eligible person” means the following people:

(1) a person whose primary residence is in an equity investment eligible community;
(2) a person who is a graduate of or currently enrolled in the foster care system; or
(3) a person who was formerly incarcerated.

“Governing body” means the county board or board of county commissioners of a county, the city council of a municipality, or the board of trustees of a village.

“Local Employment Plan” means a bidding option that public agencies may include in requests for proposals to incentivize bidders to voluntarily plan to retain and create high-skilled local manufacturing jobs; invest in preapprenticeship, apprenticeship, and training opportunities; and develop family-sustaining career pathways into clean energy industries for disadvantaged workers in a specified local area. The Local Employment Plan only applies to work that is not financed with federal money.

“Local unit of government” means a county, municipality, or village.

“Natural climate solutions” means conservation, restoration, or improved land management actions that increase carbon storage or avoid greenhouse gas emissions on natural and working lands.

“Nature-based approaches for climate adaptation” means actions that preserve, enhance, or expand functions provided by nature that increase capacity to manage adverse conditions created or exacerbated by climate change. “Nature-based approaches for climate adaptation” includes, but is not limited to, the restoration of native ecosystems, especially floodplains; installation of bioswales, rain gardens, and other green stormwater infrastructure; and practices that increase soil health and reduce urban heat island effects.

“Public agency” means the State of Illinois or any of its government bodies and subdivisions, including the various counties, townships, municipalities, school districts, educational service regions, special road districts, public water supply districts, drainage districts, levee districts, sewer districts, housing authorities, and transit agencies.

“Renewable energy resource” includes energy and its associated renewable energy credit or renewable energy credits from wind energy, solar thermal energy, geothermal energy, photovoltaic cells and panels, biodiesel, anaerobic digestion, and hydropower that does not involve new construction or significant expansion of hydropower dams. For purposes of this Act, landfill gas produced in the State is considered a renewable energy resource. “Renewable energy resource” does not include the incineration or burning of any solid material.

“Renewable energy system” means a fixture, product, device, or interacting group of fixtures, products, or devices on the customer’s side of the meter that use one or more renewable energy resources to generate electricity, and specifically includes any renewable energy project, as defined in Section 825-65 of the Illinois Finance Authority Act.

“U.S. Employment Plan” means a bidding option that public agencies may include in requests for proposals to incentivize bidders to voluntarily plan to retain and create high-skilled U.S. manufacturing jobs; invest in preapprenticeship, apprenticeship, and training opportunities; and develop family-sustaining career pathways into clean energy industries for disadvantaged workers throughout the U.S. The U.S. Employment Plan only applies to work financed with federal Money.

“Water use improvement” means any fixture, product, system, device, or interacting group thereof for or serving any property that has the effect of conserving water resources through improved water management, efficiency, or thermal resource.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/15-15)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)

Sec. 15-15. Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Plans; creation.

(a) Pursuant to the procedures in Section 15-20, a local unit of government may establish Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Plans and identify boundaries and areas covered by the Plans.

(b) Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Plans are intended to aid local governments in developing a comprehensive approach to combining different energy, climate, and jobs programs and funding resources to achieve complementary impact. An effective planning process may:

(1) help communities discover ways that their local government, businesses, and residents can control their energy use and lower their bills;
(2) ensure a cost-effective transition away from fossil fuels in the transportation sector;
(3) expand access to workforce development and job training opportunities for disadvantaged workers in the emerging clean energy economy;
(4) incentivize the creation and retention of quality Illinois jobs (when federal funds are not involved) in the emerging clean energy economy;
(5) incentivize the creation and retention of quality U.S. jobs in the emerging clean energy economy;
(6) promote economic development through improvements in community infrastructure, transit, and support for local business;
(7) improve the health of Illinois communities, especially eligible communities, by reducing emissions, addressing existing brownfield areas, and promoting the integration of distributed energy resources;
(8) enable greater customer engagement, empowerment, and options for energy services, and ultimately reduce utility bills for Illinoisans;
(9) bring the benefits of grid modernization and the deployment of distributed energy resources to economically disadvantaged communities and eligible communities throughout Illinois;
(10) support existing Illinois policy goals promoting energy efficiency, demand response, and investments in renewable energy resources;
(11) enable communities to better respond to extreme heat and cold emergencies;
(12) explore opportunities to expand and improve recreational amenities, wildlife habitat, flood mitigation, agricultural production, tourism, and similar co-benefits by deploying natural climate solutions and nature-based approaches for climate adaptation; and
(13) ensure eligible persons, minorities, women, people with disabilities, and veterans meaningfully participate in the transition to a clean energy economy.

(1) the demographics of the community, including information on the mix of residential and commercial areas and populations, ages, languages, education, and workforce training, including an examination of the average utility bills paid within the community by class and zip code, the percentage and locations of individuals requiring energy assistance, and participation of community members in other assistance programs;
(2) an examination of the community’s energy use, for electricity, natural gas, transportation, and other fuels;
(3) the geography of the community, including the amount of green space, brownfield sites, farmland, waterways, flood zones, heat islands, areas for potential development, location of critical infrastructure such as emergency response facilities, health care and education facilities, and public transportation routes;
(4) information on economic development opportunities, commercial usage, and employment opportunities;
(5) the current status of zero emission vehicles operated by or on behalf of public agencies within the community; and
(6) other topics deemed applicable by the community.

(d) A Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Plan may address the following areas:

(1) distributed energy resources, including energy efficiency, demand response, dynamic pricing, energy storage, and solar (thermal, rooftop, and community);
(2) building codes, both commercial and residential;
(3) alternative transportation funding;
(4) transit options, including individual car ownership, ridesharing, buses, trains, bicycles, and pedestrian walkways;
(5) community assets related to extreme heat and cold emergencies, such as cooling and warming centers;
(6) public agency procurements of zero emission, electric vehicles; and
(7) networks of natural resources and infrastructure.

(e) A Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Plan may conclude with proposals to:

(1) increase the use of electricity as a transportation fuel at multi-unit dwellings;
(2) maximize the system-wide benefits of transportation electrification;
(3) direct public agencies to implement tools, such as the U.S. Employment Plan or a Local Employment Plan, to incentivize manufacturers in clean energy industries to create and retain quality jobs and invest in training, workforce development, and apprenticeship programs in connection to a major contract;
(4) test innovative load management programs or rate structures associated with the use of electric vehicles by residential customers to achieve customer fuel cost savings relative to gasoline or diesel fuels and to optimize grid efficiency;
(5) increase the integration of distributed energy resources in the community;
(6) significantly expand the percentage of net-zero housing and net-zero buildings in the community;
(7) improve utility bill affordability;
(8) increase mass transit ridership;
(9) decrease vehicle miles traveled;
(10) reduce local emissions of greenhouse gases, NO_x, SO_x, particulate matter, and other air pollutants;
(11) improve community assets that help residents respond to extreme heat and cold emergencies; and
(12) expand opportunities for eligible persons, minorities, women, people with disabilities, and veterans to meaningfully participate in the transition to a clean energy economy.

(f) A Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Plan may be administered by one or more program administrators or the local unit of government.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/15-20)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)

Sec. 15-20. Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Planning process.

(a) An effective planning process shall engage a diverse set of stakeholders in local communities, including: environmental justice organizations; economic development organizations; faith-based nonprofit organizations; educational institutions; interested residents; health care institutions; tenant organizations; housing institutions, developers, and owners; elected and appointed officials; and representatives reflective of each local community.

(b) An effective planning process shall engage individual members of the community to the extent possible to ensure that the Plans receive input from as diverse a set of perspectives as possible.

(c) Plan materials and meetings related to the Plan shall be translated into languages that reflect the makeup of the local community.

(d) The planning process shall be conducted in an ethical, transparent fashion, and continually review its policies and practices to determine how best to meet its objectives.

(e) The Community, Energy, and Climate Plans shall take into account other applicable or relevant economic development plans, such as a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, developed by a local unit of government, economic development organization, or Regional Planning Council.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/15-25)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)

Sec. 15-25. Joint Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Plans. A local unit of government may join with any other local unit of government, or with any public or private person, or with any number or combination thereof, under the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act, by contract or otherwise as may be permitted by law, for the implementation of a Community Energy, Climate, and Jobs Plan, in whole or in part.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/15-90)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)

Sec. 15-90. Repealer. This Act is repealed 24 years after the effective date of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/Art. 20 heading)

Article 20. Illinois Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund Act
(The Illinois Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund Act is compiled at 805 ILCS 155/) (Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/Art. 90 heading)

Article 90.
(Amendatory and uncodified provisions; text omitted)(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)

(50 ILCS 65/90-1)

Sec. 90-1. (Uncodified provisions; text omitted).