Dive Brief:
- The Illinois Senate has adjourned for the year, but not before sending to Gov. Pat Quinn a piece of legislation giving the state's largest utilities two more years to develop their smart grid programs and to continue charging rates based on those programs.
- It is unclear if Quinn will sign the legislation, which would mean more time for Ameren and ComEd to continue the development of the programs.
- Consumer advocates are mixed on the bill, saying they support the smart grid but think it may be too soon for an extension of the program.
Dive Insight:
Gov. Quinn had a veto overridden on the original smart grid legislation in 2011, so observers say there is a real chance he could reject this bill as well.
The Illinois Citizens Utility Board has added a note to coverage of the issue on its web site, quoting CUB Executive Director David Kolata saying the group is "generally supportive" of the smart grid ill. "We think if the law is implemented correctly it will bring benefits. We don't have enough evidence that it's working as well as it can," Kolata said. "We think it's too soon to do something like this."
Pantagraph reports the measure's sponsor, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, used parliamentary procedure keep the bill from Quinn's desk until he could discuss it with the governor.
The bill extends the tariffs by two years but leaves in place a Dec. 31, 2017, deadline for state regulators to "prepare and file with the General Assembly a report on the infrastructure program and the performance-based formula rate."
