(220 ILCS 5/Art. V heading)
DUTIES OF PUBLIC UTILITIES
(220 ILCS 5/5-101) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-101)
Sec. 5-101.
Every public utility shall furnish to the Commission all
information required by it to carry into effect the provisions of this Act,
and shall make specific answers to all questions submitted by the Commission.
Any public utility receiving from the Commission any blanks with
directions to fill the same, shall cause the same to be properly filled out
so as to answer fully and correctly each question therein propounded, and
in case it is unable to answer any question, it shall give a good and
sufficient reason for such failure; and said answer shall be verified under
oath by the president, secretary, superintendent or general manager of such
public utility and returned to the Commission at its office within the
period fixed by the Commission.
Whenever required by the Commission, every public utility shall deliver
to the Commission, any or all maps, profiles, reports, documents, books,
accounts, papers and records in its possession, or in any way relating to
its property or affecting its business, and inventories of its property, in
such form as the Commission may direct, or verified copies of any or all of
the same.
Every public utility shall obey and comply with each and every requirement
of this Act and every order, decision, direction, rule or regulation made or
prescribed by the Commission in the matters herein specified, or any other
matter in any way relating to or affecting its business as a public
utility, and shall do everything necessary or proper in order to secure
compliance with and observance of this Act and every such order, decision,
direction, rule or regulation by all of its officers, agents and employees.
(Source: P.A. 84-617.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-102) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-102)
Sec. 5-102.
The Commission shall have power to establish a uniform system of
accounts to be kept by public utilities or to classify public utilities and
to establish a uniform system of accounts for each class and to prescribe
the manner in which such accounts shall be kept. It may also, in its
discretion, prescribe the forms of accounts to be kept by public utilities,
including records of service, as well as accounts of earnings and expenses,
and any other forms, records and memoranda which in the judgment of the
Commission may be necessary to carry out any of the provisions of this Act.
Where the Commission has prescribed the
forms of accounts to be kept by any public utility for any of its business,
it shall thereafter be unlawful for such public utility to keep any
accounts for such business other than those prescribed or approved by the
Commission, or those prescribed by or under the authority of any other
state or of the United States.
The Commission may, from time to time, alter, amend or repeal, in whole
or in part, any uniform system of accounts, or the form and manner of
keeping accounts.
(Source: P.A. 100-840, eff. 8-13-18.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-103) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-103)
Sec. 5-103.
Such systems of accounts shall provide for forms showing all
sources of incomes, the amounts due and received from each source and the
amounts expended and due for each purpose, distinguishing clearly all
payments for operating expenses from those for new construction, extensions
and additions and for balance sheets showing assets and liabilities and
various forms of proprietary interest.
(Source: P.A. 84-617.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-104) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-104)
Sec. 5-104. Depreciation accounts.
(a) The Commission shall have power, after hearing, to require any or
all public utilities, except electric public utilities, to keep such
accounts as will adequately reflect
depreciation, obsolescence and the progress of the arts. The Commission
may, from time to time, ascertain and determine and by order fix the proper
and adequate rate of depreciation of the several classes of property for
each public utility; and each public utility shall
conform its depreciation
accounts to the rates so ascertained, determined and fixed.
(b) The Commission shall have the power, after hearing, to require any or
all electric public utilities to keep such accounts as will adequately reflect
depreciation, obsolescence, and the progress of the arts. The Commission may,
from time to time, ascertain and determine and by order fix the proper and
adequate rate of depreciation of the several classes of property for each
electric public utility; and each electric public utility shall thereafter,
absent further order of the Commission, conform its depreciation accounts to
the rates so ascertained, determined and fixed until at least the end of the
first full calendar year following the date of such determination.
(c) An electric public utility may from time to time alter the
annual rates of depreciation, which for purposes of this
subsection (c) and subsection (d) shall include amortization,
that it applies to its several classes of assets so long as
the rates are consistent with generally accepted accounting
principles. The electric public utility shall file a statement with
the Commission which shall set forth the new rates of
depreciation and which shall contain a certification by an
independent certified public accountant that the new rates of
depreciation are consistent with generally accepted accounting
principles. Upon the filing of such statement, the new rates
of depreciation shall be deemed to be approved by the
Commission as the rates of depreciation to be applied
thereafter by the public utility as though an order had been
entered pursuant to subsection (b).
(d) In any proceeding conducted pursuant to Section 9-201 or 9-202 to set
an electric
public utility’s rates for service,
the Commission may determine not to use, in determining the
depreciation expense component of the public utility’s rates
for service, the rates of depreciation established pursuant to
subsection (c), if the Commission in that proceeding finds
based on the record that different rates of depreciation are
required to adequately reflect depreciation, obsolescence and
the progress of the arts, and fixes by order and uses for
purposes of that proceeding new rates of depreciation to be
thereafter employed by the electric public utility until the end of the
first full calendar year following the date of the
determination and thereafter until altered in accordance with
subsection (b) or (c) of this Section.
(e) A gas public utility serving more than 1,600,000 customers as of January 1, 2013 may from time to time alter the annual rates of depreciation, which for purposes of this subsection (e) shall include amortization, that the gas public utility applies to its several classes of assets so long as the rates are consistent with generally accepted accounting principles. The gas public utility shall file testimony with the Commission setting forth the new rates of depreciation that shall include: (i) a summary of the causes for the change in depreciation rates; (ii) a certification by an independent certified public accountant that the new rates of depreciation are consistent with generally accepted accounting principles; (iii) the depreciation study; and (iv) the expected impact on depreciation expense from the new depreciation rates. The gas public utility shall also simultaneously submit to the Commission all work papers that support the filed depreciation study. No later than 120 days after the filing by the gas public utility under this subsection (e), the Commission shall ascertain and determine and, by order, fix the proper and adequate rate of depreciation of the several classes of property for the gas public utility. The gas public utility shall conform its depreciation accounts to the rates so ascertained, determined, and fixed. Rates of depreciation established by the Commission pursuant to this subsection (e) shall become effective upon the date of the gas public utility’s filing.
(Source: P.A. 98-473, eff. 8-16-13.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-105) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-105)
Sec. 5-105.
The Commission may provide for the examination and audit of all
accounts, and all items shall be allocated to the accounts in the manner
prescribed by the Commission. The officers and employees of the Commission
shall have authority under the direction of the Commission to inspect and
examine any and all books, accounts, papers, records and memoranda kept by
such public utilities.
(Source: P.A. 84-617.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-106) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-106)
Sec. 5-106.
Each public utility shall have an office in one of the cities,
villages or incorporated towns in this State in which its property or some
part thereof is located, and shall keep in said office all such books,
accounts, papers, records and memoranda as shall be ordered by the
Commission to be kept within the State. The address of such office shall be
filed with the Commission. No books, accounts, papers, records or memoranda
ordered by the Commission to be kept within the State shall be at any time
removed from the State, except upon such conditions as may be prescribed by
the Commission.
Each public utility shall be liable for, and upon proper invoice from
the Commission shall promptly reimburse the Commission for, the reasonable
costs and expenses associated with the audit or inspection of any books,
accounts, papers, records and memoranda kept outside the State.
(Source: P.A. 84-617.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-107) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-107)
Sec. 5-107.
Any person who shall wilfully make any false entry in the
accounts, or in any record or memoranda or by any other means or
device falsify the record of any such account, record or memoranda, or who
shall willfully neglect or fail to make full, true, and correct entries in
such accounts, records, or memoranda of all facts in transactions
appertaining to the business of the public utility, or shall keep any
accounts or record other than those prescribed or approved by the
Commission, shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
If any such books, accounts, records or memoranda shall have been
preserved for a period of at least three years, a public utility may with
the consent of the Commission destroy such of them as in the judgment of
the Commission may properly be destroyed.
(Source: P.A. 84-617.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-108) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-108)
Sec. 5-108.
Any officer or employee of the Commission who divulges any fact
or information coming to his knowledge during the course of an inspection,
examination or investigation of any account, record, memorandum, book or
paper of a public utility, except in so far as he may be authorized by the
Commission or by a circuit court, shall be guilty
of a Class A misdemeanor.
(Source: P.A. 84-617.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-109) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-109)
Sec. 5-109. Reports; false reports; penalty. Each public utility in the
State, other than a commercial
mobile radio service provider, shall each year furnish to
the Commission, in such form as the Commission shall require, annual
reports as to all the items mentioned in the preceding Sections of this
Article, and in addition such other items, whether of a nature similar
to those therein enumerated or otherwise, as the Commission may
prescribe. Such annual reports shall contain all the required information
for the period of 12 months ending on
June 30 in each year, or ending on December 31 in
each year, as the Commission may by order prescribe for each class of
public utilities, except commercial mobile radio service providers,
and shall be filed with the Commission at its office in Springfield
within 3 months after the close of the year for which
the report is made. The Commission shall have authority to require any
public utility to file monthly reports of earnings and expenses of such
utility, and to file other periodical or special, or both periodical and
special reports concerning any matter about which the Commission is
authorized by law to keep itself informed. All reports shall be under oath.
When any report is erroneous or defective or appears to the Commission
to be erroneous or defective, the Commission may notify the public
utility to amend such report within 30 days, and before
or after the termination of such period the Commission may examine the
officers, agents, or employees, and books, records, accounts, vouchers,
plant, equipment and property of such public utility, and correct such
items in the report as upon such examination the Commission may find
defective or erroneous.
All reports made to the Commission by any public utility and the contents
thereof shall be open to public inspection, unless otherwise ordered by the
Commission. Such reports shall be preserved in the office of the Commission.
Any public utility which fails to make and file any report called for by
the Commission within the time specified; or to make specific answer to any
question propounded by the Commission within 30 days from the
time it is lawfully required to do so, or within such further time, not
to exceed 90 days, as may in its discretion be allowed by the
Commission, shall forfeit up to $100 for each and every day it may so be in
default if the utility collects less than $100,000 annually in gross revenue;
and if the utility collects $100,000 or more annually in gross revenue,
it shall forfeit $1,000 per day for each and every day it is in default.
Any person who willfully makes any false return or report to the
Commission or to any member, officer, or employee thereof,
any
person who willfully, in a
return or report, withholds or fails to provide material information to which
the Commission
is entitled under this Act and which information is either required to be filed
by statute, rule, regulation, order, or decision of the Commission or has been
requested by the Commission,
and any
person who willfully aids or abets such person shall be guilty of a Class A
misdemeanor.
(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-110)
Sec. 5-110.
Disclosure of customer information to law enforcement
agencies. A public utility shall not disclose customer record information to a
law enforcement agency unless the law enforcement agency requests the customer
record information in writing, specifying that the information is necessary for
a law enforcement purpose. Customer record information includes, but is not
limited to, social security numbers, public aid numbers, and employment data.
Nothing in this Section shall affect the Commission’s access to information
under this Act or any other law.
(Source: P.A. 90-727, eff. 8-7-98.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-111)
Sec. 5-111. Natural gas performance reporting.
(a) The General Assembly recognizes that for well over a century Illinois residents and businesses have relied on the natural gas utility system. The General Assembly finds that in order for a natural gas utility to provide safe, reliable, and affordable service to the State’s current and future utility customers, a utility must refurbish, rebuild, modernize, and expand its infrastructure and adequately train its workforce on appropriate operations procedures and policies designed to effectively maintain its infrastructure.
(b) A natural gas public utility shall report annually to the Commission the following information, compiled on a calendar-year basis, beginning with the first report on April 1, 2014:
- (1) the number of emergency calls with response times exceeding both 30 minutes and 60 minutes and the number of emergency calls in which the utility stopped the flow of natural gas on the system or appropriately vented natural gas in a time exceeding both 60 minutes and 90 minutes;
- (2) the number of incidents of damage per thousand gas facility locate requests to the utility’s pipeline facilities resulting from utility error and the number of incidents of damage per thousand gas facility locate requests to the utility’s pipeline facilities resulting from the fault of third parties;
- (3) the number of scheduled cathodic protection readings below -0.850 volts;
- (4) the number of service lines that were inactive for over 3 years and not disconnected from a source of supply;
- (5) the number of difficult to locate services replaced;
- (6) the number of remotely-readable cathodic protection devices;
- (7) the miles of main and numbers of services replaced that were constructed of cast iron, wrought iron, ductile iron, unprotected coated steel, unprotected bare steel, mechanically coupled steel, copper, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate (CAB) plastic, pre-1973 DuPont Aldyl “A” polyethylene, PVC, or other types of materials identified by a State or federal governmental agency as being prone to leakage;
- (8) the number of miles of transmission facilities on which maximum allowable operating pressures have been established;
- (9) the number of miles of transmission facilities equipped with remotely controlled shut-off valve capability; and
- (10) the value in dollars of contracts in force with minority-owned, female-owned, and qualified service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.
(c) Reports required under this Section shall be submitted to the Commission by April 1 of each year. Reports shall be verified in the same manner as Form 21 ILCC and contain the information specified in subsection (b) of this Section for the preceding calendar year. The reports shall further identify the number of jobs attributable to each of the reporting requirements in (b)(1) through (b)(10) of this Section. Following the submission of a utility’s initial report, subsequent reports by the utility shall state year-over-year changes in the information being reported. The Commission shall post the reports on the public portion of its web site.
(d) A natural gas utility shall submit an annual plan specifying its goals for each of the items identified in subsection (b) of this Section, and such utility is expected to show reasonable and continuing progress in improving its performance under the criteria identified in subsection (b) of this Section. If the Commission finds, after notice and hearing, that a utility has failed to show progressive improvement in its performance under those criteria, the Commission may require the natural gas utility to submit a remediation plan for the criteria identified in subsection (b) of this Section designed to improve the utility’s performance.
(e) The Commission may adopt rules to implement the requirements of this Section.
(f) This Section does not apply to a gas utility that on January 1, 2013 provided gas service to fewer than 100,000 customers in Illinois.
(Source: P.A. 98-57, eff. 7-5-13.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-115)
Sec. 5-115. (Repealed).
(Source: P.A. 97-1041, eff. 8-20-12. Repealed by P.A. 98-1056, eff. 8-26-14.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-117)
Sec. 5-117. Supplier diversity goals.
(a) The public policy of this State is to collaboratively work with companies that serve Illinois residents to improve their supplier diversity in a non-antagonistic manner.
(b) The Commission shall require all gas, electric, and water utilities with at least 100,000 customers under its authority to submit an annual report by April 15, 2015 and every April 15 thereafter, in a searchable Adobe PDF format, on all procurement goals and actual spending for female-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned, and small business enterprises in the previous calendar year. These goals shall be expressed as a percentage of the total work performed by the entity submitting the report, and the actual spending for all female-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned, and small business enterprises shall also be expressed as a percentage of the total work performed by the entity submitting the report.
(c) Each participating company in its annual report shall include the following information:
- (1) an explanation of the plan for the next year to increase participation;
- (2) an explanation of the plan to increase the goals;
- (3) the areas of procurement each company shall be actively seeking more participation in the next year;
- (3.5) a buying plan for the specific goods and services the company intends to buy in the next 6 to 18 months, that is either (i) organized by and reported at the level of each applicable North American Industry Classification System code, (ii) provided using a method, system, or description similar to the North American Industry Classification System, or (iii) provided using the major categories of goods and related services utilized in the company’s procurement system, and including any procurement codes used by the company, to assist entrepreneurs and diverse companies to understand upcoming opportunities to work with the company, however, a utility shall not be required to include commercially-sensitive data, nonpublic procurement information, or other information that could compromise a utility’s ability to negotiate the most advantageous price or terms;
- (4) an outline of the plan to alert and encourage potential vendors in that area to seek business from the company;
- (5) an explanation of the challenges faced in finding quality vendors and offer any suggestions for what the Commission could do to be helpful to identify those vendors;
- (6) a list of the certifications the company recognizes;
- (7) the point of contact for any potential vendor who wishes to do business with the company and explain the process for a vendor to enroll with the company as a minority-owned, women-owned, or veteran-owned company; and
- (8) any particular success stories to encourage other companies to emulate best practices.
(d) Each annual report shall include as much State-specific data as possible. If the submitting entity does not submit State-specific data, then the company shall include any national data it does have and explain why it could not submit State-specific data and how it intends to do so in future reports, if possible.
(e) Each annual report shall include the rules, regulations, and definitions used for the procurement goals in the company’s annual report.
(f) The Commission and all participating entities shall hold an annual workshop open to the public in 2015 and every year thereafter on the state of supplier diversity to collaboratively seek solutions to structural impediments to achieving stated goals, including testimony from each participating entity as well as subject matter experts and advocates. The Commission shall publish a database on its website of the point of contact for each participating entity for supplier diversity, along with a list of certifications each company recognizes from the information submitted in each annual report. The Commission shall publish each annual report on its website and shall maintain each annual report for at least 5 years.
(Source: P.A. 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-662, eff. 9-15-21; 102-673, eff. 11-30-21; 102-1031, eff. 5-27-22.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-201) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-201)
Sec. 5-201.
In case any public utility shall do, cause to be done or permit
to be done any act, matter or thing prohibited, forbidden or declared to be
unlawful, or shall omit to do any act, matter or thing required to be done
either by any provisions of this Act or any rule, regulation, order or
decision of the Commission, issued under authority of this Act, the public
utility shall be liable to the persons or corporations affected thereby for
all loss, damages or injury caused thereby or resulting therefrom, and if
the court shall find that the act or omission was wilful, the court may in
addition to the actual damages, award damages for the sake of example and
by the way of punishment. An action to recover for such loss, damage or
injury may be brought in the circuit court by any person or corporation.
In every case of a recovery of damages by any person or corporation
under the provisions of this Section, the plaintiff shall be entitled to a
reasonable attorney’s fee to be fixed by the court, which fee
shall be taxed and collected as part of the costs in the case.
No recovery as in this Section provided shall in any manner affect a
recovery by the State of the penalties in this Act provided.
(Source: P.A. 84-617.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-202) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-202)
Sec. 5-202.
Violations; penalty.
Any public utility, any corporation other than a public
utility, or any person acting as a public utility, that violates
or fails to comply with any provisions of this
Act or that fails to obey, observe, or comply with any
order, decision,
rule, regulation, direction, or requirement, or any part or provision
thereof, of the Commission, made or issued under authority of this Act,
in a case in which a penalty is not otherwise provided for in this Act,
shall be subject to a civil penalty imposed in the manner provided in
Section 4-203. A small public utility, as defined in subsection (b) of
Section 4-502 of this Act, is subject to a civil penalty of not less than
$500 nor more than
$2,000 for each and every offense. All other public utilities, corporations
other than a public utility, and persons acting as a public utility are subject
to a civil penalty of up to $30,000 for each and every offense, except as
provided in this Section and in Sections 13-101, 13-304, 13-305, and 5-202.1 of
this Act.
Every violation of the provisions of this Act or of any order,
decision, rule, regulation, direction, or requirement of the Commission,
or any part or portion thereof, by any corporation or person, is a
separate and distinct offense, provided, however, that if the same act or
omission violates more than one
provision of this Act, or of any order, decision, rule, regulation, direction,
or
requirement of the Commission, only one penalty or cumulative penalty may
be imposed for such act or omission. In case of a continuing violation, each
day’s continuance thereof shall be a separate and distinct offense, provided,
however, that the cumulative penalty for any continuing violation shall not
exceed $500,000, except in the case of a small utility, as defined in
subsection (b) of Section 4-502 of this Act, in which case the cumulative
penalty for any continuing violation shall not exceed $35,000, and provided
further that these limits shall not apply where the violation was intentional
and either (i) created substantial risk to the safety of the utility’s
employees or
customers or the public or (ii) was intended to cause economic benefits to
accrue to the violator.
In construing and enforcing the provisions of this Act relating to
penalties, the act, omission, or failure of any officer, agent, or
employee of any public utility, corporation other than a public utility, or
person acting as a public utility, that is acting within the scope of his
official
duties or employment, shall in every case be deemed to be the act,
omission, or failure of such public utility, corporation other than a public
utility, or person acting as a public utility.
If the party who has violated or failed to comply with this Act or an
order,
decision, rule, regulation, direction, or requirement of the Commission,
or any part or provision thereof, fails to seek timely review pursuant to
Sections 10-113 and 10-201 of this Act, the party shall, upon expiration of the
statutory time limit, be subject
to the civil penalty provision of this Section.
No penalties shall accrue under this provision until 15 days after the
mailing of a notice to such party or parties that they are in violation
of or have failed to comply with the Act or order, decision, rule, regulation,
direction, or requirement of the Commission or any part or provision thereof,
except that this notice provision shall not apply when the violation was
intentional.
(Source: P.A. 93-457, eff. 8-8-03.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-202.1)
Sec. 5-202.1. Misrepresentation before Commission; penalty.
(a) Any person or corporation, as defined in Sections 3-113 and 3-114 of
this Act, who knowingly misrepresents facts to the Commission in response to any Commission contact, inquiry or discussion or knowingly aids another in doing
so in response to any Commission contact, inquiry or discussion or knowingly permits another to
misrepresent facts through testimony or the offering or withholding of
material information in any
proceeding shall be subject to a civil penalty. Whenever
the Commission is of
the opinion that a person or corporation is misrepresenting or has
misrepresented facts,
the Commission may initiate a proceeding to determine
whether a misrepresentation has in fact occurred. If the Commission finds
that a person or corporation has violated this Section, the Commission shall
impose a penalty of not less than $1,000. Each
misrepresentation of a fact
found by the
Commission shall constitute a separate and distinct violation. In determining
the amount of the penalty to be assessed, the Commission may consider any
matters of record in aggravation or mitigation of the penalty, as set forth in
Section 4-203, including but not limited to the following:
- (1) the presence or absence of due diligence on the part of the violator in attempting to comply with the Act;
- (2) any economic benefits accrued, or expected to be accrued, by the violator because of the misrepresentation; and
- (3) the amount of monetary penalty that will serve to deter further violations by the violator and to otherwise aid in enhancing voluntary compliance with the Act.
(b) Any action to enforce civil penalties arising under this Section
shall
be undertaken pursuant to Section 4-203.
(c) For purposes of this Section, “Commission,” as defined in Section 3-102, refers to any Commissioner, agent, or employee of the Illinois Commerce commission, and also refers to any other person engaged to represent the Commission in carrying out its regulatory or law enforcement obligations.
(Source: P.A. 99-906, eff. 6-1-17.)
(220 ILCS 5/5-203) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 5-203)
Sec. 5-203.
Every person who, either individually, or acting as an officer,
agent, or employee of a public utility or of a corporation other than a public
utility, violates or fails to comply with any provisions of this Act, or
fails to observe, obey or comply with any order, decision, rule,
regulation, direction or requirement, or any part or portion thereof, of
the Commission, made or issued under authority of this Act, or who
procures, aids or abets any public utility in its violation of this Act or
in its failure to obey, observe or comply with this Act or any such order,
decision, rule, regulation, direction, or requirement, or any part or
portion thereof, in a case in which a penalty is not otherwise provided for
in this Act, is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(Source: P.A. 84-617.)