May Edition 2012
This Month’s Giggle
Energy Related Legislation in Springfield
With one month to go (maybe?), there are a few key energy related bills in the process in Springfield. Here’s a quick recap on three of them:
SB678 The Tenaska Bill: For the past three years, the Illinois Chamber has been a leading and active member of the STOP Coalition – a large group of business and environmental interests who do not think the proposed Tenaska coal-to-gas-to-electricity plant should be built in Taylorville, Illinois.
The bill squeaked through the Senate in December of 2011 with the bare minimum of 30 votes. It now resides in the House where its fate is still unknown. Though the legislation has been tweaked since the idea first came to the legislature, the problems remain the same: a project that produces electricity at an above-market price, with the business and commercial users taking a vast majority of the risk of paying higher prices for 30 years. All for a technology that isn’t groundbreaking and for a product (electricity) we don’t currently need.
If you want an additional synopsis, try this You Tube video (especially the segment at 4 minutes 30 seconds). It was not produced by the Chamber but covers most of the points we talk about.
HB 5071 A bill that allows owners of electric vehicle charging stations to charge for the power without having to be certified as a utility or a retail electricity supplier. These are common sense changes to the Public Utility Act so someday Walgreen’s, Wal-Mart, parking lot owners and others will be able to recoup money from electric car owners that plug in to their chargers. The bill passed the House unanimously. We’re hopeful for a similar fate in the Senate though some amendments are being considered that might complicate matters.
SB3432 A bill that sets out regulations on hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a. fracking) of oil shale in Illinois. A bill sponsored by Sen. Frerichs who showed great leadership in getting producers, environmental groups and the Farm Bureau to sit down and come up with an agreed-upon bill. The Senate passed the legislation unanimously and it’s now being reviewed in the House.
What Else is the Energy Council Talking About?
Wind
The Illinois Chamber sent this letter to the Illinois Congressional Delegation supporting efforts to extend the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind development. The credit is a reasonable carrot for a growing energy industry and the on-again, off-again nature of the way Washington provides the incentive is another example of giving business little to no predictability. The Chamber hopes an extension of the PTC with a ramp down over time will allow a predictable soft landing so the wind industry can thrive competitively.
Video Information
The Premier of Alberta, Alison Redford, was in Chicago a few months ago and we chatted with her about the Illinois-Alberta energy link — take a peek at the short interview.
Can we build energy infrastructure in Illinois (or anywhere else)?
No? Here’s an article from the National Journal on the problem of getting any kind of energy project built in a land of NIMBY’s, BANANA’s, CAVE’s and NOPE’s.
Yes? And here is information on ATC’s new transmission lines in Northeastern Illinois that just got approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission. Keep hope alive!
