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*** UPDATED x2 *** That’s a wrap! Senate adjourns with no energy deal

Tuesday, Jun 15, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Well, that was anticlimactic…

We are back from caucus. #SenEnergy committee will not meet again, and the Senate is adjourned.

— IL Senate Democrats (@ILSenDems) June 15, 2021

*** UPDATE 1 *** Senate President Harmon’s statement to reporters at his presser…

We have a much much better chance of passing a major bill when we have three ingredients: When we have the support of environmental activists; when we have the support of organized labor; and when we have the support of Democrats and Republicans.

We are this close to reaching that agreement, and I am confident that we will get that done.

There are still some points of contention between two critical constituencies, between labor and the environmental activists. I believe they’re going to be continuing to meet as early as this evening to try to work out those differences and the Senate stands ready, willing and able to return as soon as an agreement is reached.

* More Harmon…

The caucus made it very clear to all of us that we don’t want to vote for something that puts us in the middle of a fight between friends, between key constituencies, between organized labor and the environmental community. There is a deal to be reached, and we just need to get them back at the table and push a little bit harder. I’m confident we’re going to be able to do tha. […]

I am confident that the bill as proposed would not have passed today.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Press release…

The following statement may be attributed to the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition:

“On May 31, there was a tentative deal on a comprehensive energy bill, but it was stopped at the last minute. On June 1, Senate President Harmon said he ’stand[s] with the Governor on de-carbonization targets that need to be in a final deal,’ but now the Senate is headed home without action on that plan. Thousands of union workers and solar installers may now lose their jobs, while the climate crisis worsens and Black and Brown communities continue to struggle. We are deeply disappointed the Senate adjourned without taking action on a carbon-free energy future, but stand ready to enact the Governor’s plan as soon as possible.”

* Back to Harmon…

I don’t think we’re gonna have to wait until August. I think parties are going to sit down again as early as this evening and recommence negotiations. And I think there’s a fairly clear path to a relatively rapid resolution. That said, Exelon is on the cusp of a $700 million subsidy. If they close plants out of spite tomorrow, they were going to close those plants anyway. So I think we have a little bit of time here. And if we don’t, it’s not because of the failure to act legislatively today. We’ll be back this summer I predict.

* Climate Jobs Illinois…

We agree with Sen. Harmon’s statement this evening that there is a deal to be reached on clean energy legislation that addresses climate change and protects Illinois workers. Like everyone involved in these discussions, we recognize that we collectively face the biggest challenge of our generation, and we cannot afford inaction. We applaud the hard work of everyone who has come to the table to debate these issues for months, and we remain committed to seeing through a comprehensive, equitable clean energy plan that protects good-paying union jobs, secures communities and allows for a just transition to a cleaner, fairer future for all Illinoisans.

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Speaker Welch hires Tiffany Moy as new chief of staff

Tuesday, Jun 15, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

Today, after the completion of his first legislative session, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced he has promoted Tiffany Moy to be his new Chief of Staff. Moy has served as the Issues Development Director since January and was the unit’s Deputy Director prior to that. In addition to having strong experience managing a wide range of people and functions, Moy brings the necessary institutional knowledge to help the Speaker operationalize a new leadership ethos within the Illinois House of Representatives. As Moy is also the first person of color in this position, this selection represents Speaker Welch’s continued commitment to uplift a new generation of leadership that reflects the diversity of our state.

“I am proud to announce Tiffany Moy as the new Chief of Staff. Tiffany has an incredibly impressive background and has fostered strong relationships within the Illinois House of Representatives. She understands the legislative process, but even more so, Tiffany knows the issues that matter most for working families throughout the state. I am so grateful for the work and service of our current Chief of Staff, Jessica Basham, and I know that she will help Tiffany grow into this role before she leaves the Office of the Speaker. I am excited for this fresh path forward as we continue fostering a new day here in Springfield.”

…Adding… Moy won the Golden Horseshoe Award in 2020 and in 2018.

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Pritzker issues budget cleanup AV

Tuesday, Jun 15, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I told subscribers about this earlier today and then updated subscribers on potential House action for tomorrow. It looks like they may have it figured out…

To the Honorable Members of The Illinois Senate, 102nd General Assembly:

Today, I return Senate Bill 2800 with specific recommendations for change so that the various sets of appropriations included in the bill will take effect at the necessary time.

Senate Bill 2800 is the omnibus appropriation bill for Fiscal Year 2022. It includes the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations for both the operating budget and the capital budget. In addition, it includes a number of necessary supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021. Appropriations to implement the Fiscal Year 2022 budget require an effective date of July 1, 2021 so that they take effect on the first day of the fiscal year. In contrast, supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021 require an immediate effective date so that they can be available for use during the remainder of Fiscal Year 2021.

Article 999 – the effective date provision in Senate Bill 2800 – references many of the bill’s articles and, depending on whether the particular article contains new appropriations for Fiscal Year 2022 or supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021, specifies either a July 1, 2021 or an immediate effective date for each article. However, as is evident from the language in the bill, some articles were assigned the incorrect effective date, and many articles of the bill were not referenced in Article 999 and thus were not assigned a specific effective date.

It is evident that the errors and omissions in the effective date provision of Senate Bill 2800 were inadvertent as all appropriations bills traditionally have effective dates that align with the language of the appropriations. I believe that the legislative intent for Senate Bill 2800 was for new appropriations for Fiscal Year 2022 to have a July 1, 2021 effective date and for supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021 to have an immediate effective date. Without this amendatory veto, many of the appropriations in the bill would not take effect until June 1, 2022, eleven months into Fiscal Year 2022.

Therefore, pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 2800, entitled, “An ACT concerning appropriations,” with the following specific recommendations for change:

On page 3088, delete lines 8 through 12 and insert in lieu thereof the following:

“ARTICLE 999

Section 999. Effective Date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law, except that Articles 25 through 129, Articles 137 through 173, and Article 997 take effect July 1, 2021.”

With this change, Senate Bill 2800 will have my approval. I respectfully request your concurrence.

Sincerely,

JB Pritzker
GOVERNOR

Suffice to say it was a massive error in a tiny paragraph.

…Adding… Press release…

In response to Governor Pritzker issuing an amendatory veto on the state budget, SB2800, Deputy Minority Leader Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) released the following statement:

“Governor Pritzker’s amendatory veto once again highlights the need for an honest and transparent process in budgeting. Dropping a massively flawed budget in the last minutes of session is unfair to democracy and the residents of Illinois. Instead of working to fix a budget that increases lawmaker’s salaries, hikes taxes on businesses and has over $1 billion in new unvetted pork spending, the Governor chose to just make sure the law goes into effect sooner.”

* Related…

* Budget clean up could be on docket for returning lawmakers

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Protected: *** UPDATED x1 *** SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - This just in…

Tuesday, Jun 15, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

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*** UPDATED x1 *** Today’s quotable: Lightfoot says it’s “frightening” that legislators are “dividing up the spoils of CPS”

Tuesday, Jun 15, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Fran Spielman and Nader Issa at the Sun-Times…

Facing almost certain defeat, Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday threw the kitchen sink of arguments against a proposed 21-member elected board to run Chicago Public Schools — a plan favored by the Illinois General Assembly. […]

“A lot of the conversation that has been had over the course of this last legislative session is about dividing up the spoils of CPS. It’s about power. It’s about paying back somebody’s political patron. But it’s not been centered around our children. That’s telling. But it’s also frightening.”

Paging Dale Carnegie!

*** UPDATE *** One of the compromises being proposed by House members is to run a trailer bill later to try and address some of the mayor’s concerns. From the above story…

“We fought too long and too hard over the course of many, many years to make sure that we’re providing real supports for people who have come to the city who want to raise their families, do the right thing, contribute to our tax base. Yet, we’re gonna vote on a bill that disenfranchises them and then say, ‘We’ll take care of it on a trailer bill?’” said Lightfoot, her voice rising as she referenced plans to pass followup legislation to address issues like how undocumented parents could vote, among other issues.

“Too little, too late. If you know that the bill is flawed, wait. Fix it.”

As a lobbyist on another issue said to me last night, “If you don’t pass a bill, you can’t fix it later.” Just sayin…

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*** UPDATED x4 *** Pritzker and enviros move on coal and natural gas, but unions still won’t budge

Tuesday, Jun 15, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

*** UPDATE 1 *** The Senate has apparently given up on a comprehensive bill and is now working on what’s being called a “skinny bill” which would address “time sensitive matters.” Provisions include a moratorium on nuclear plant closures (which would certainly prompt a court challenge), some Exelon ethics provisions and a “solar cliff fix” with related equity issues. “Yep, so a bill that cuts out everything environmentalists want,” said one top enviro lobbyist.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Cunningham is confirming to the Senate Energy and Public Utility Committee that the decarbonization process is still the sticking point. The enviros and the Pritzker administration, he said, want “descending caps” that could lead to plant closures before 2035 and 2045.

*** UPDATE 3 *** From Jordan Abudayyeh…

Reporters—

Since Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell was not called to testify in committee this afternoon, I’ve attached his remarks as prepared for delivery here. The latest draft of the bill is also attached. The administration has not seen any other language that has been presented at this time.

Thanks!

From Mitchell’s remarks…

We can’t understand why those who oppose this measure would ignore the jobs I’ve just listed to try to preserve jobs that may go away decades in the future

The draft is here.

*** UPDATE 4 *** It doesn’t sound like the “skinny” bill has any real support outside the Senate, including with labor.

[ *** End Of Updates *** ]

* From Gov. Pritzker’s policy advisor…

See attached for the last draft of the energy proposal, reflecting the Governor’s most recent offer on decarbonization, in response to labor’s continued requests. A summary of the new structure is as follows:

• Prairie State and CWLP: no unit-specific emissions cap; with IEPA approval of carbon capture and sequestration (must capture and store at least 90% of greenhouse gas emissions) by 2034, they can stay open until 2045
• Declining caps with a 20% aggregate emissions reductions requirement over a 5-year period (does not apply to specific units)
• Units with best available control technology can stay open longer than dirtier units
• Ripcord provision allows a plant to stay open if the RTO deems it necessary for reliability purposes
• IEPA rulemaking must consider the impact on the ability of resources to meet reliability requirements
• Phase out coal by 2035 (except PS/CWLP w/ 90% capture)
• Phase out natural gas by 2045

The two other substantive changes are: insertion of two low income pilot solar projects in Peoria and East St. Louis, as requested by Ameren Illinois and approved by the legislative workout group, and a clarification that the 10% set aside for equity eligible contractors applies specifically for those with that designation (responsive to a request by members of the black caucus).

There are a few other technical changes caught by various parties, including a telecom clarification requested by AT&T.

We stand by for questions, but believe this bill is ready for passage, and the Governor is ready to sign it.

The full draft is here.

The 2035 deadline for coal was a huge sticking point for organized labor, their legislative allies and some Republicans, particularly when it came to two coal-fired plants, Prairie State Energy and Springfield’s CWLP. Then they raised the natural gas issue, which was a big issue during last night’s negotiations.

* Organized labor still won’t budge, however. “If a plant is clean — why should they be forced to shut down?” texted a top labor leader to me this morning when I asked about the status of the proposal.

If they won’t bite on 2045, then I don’t know how much further the enviros can move. From an enviro lobbyist…

If in 2045 we have technology that allows for 100% CCS, then we can change the law in the next 25 years and they’ll be able to stay open. But why shouldn’t we plan for the likelihood (if not inevitability) that such technology is not feasible and/or affordable?

The carbon capture technology is at least four times as expensive as a carbon tax, which the governor proposed and the unions and the Senate President both opposed. WBEZ…

The Prairie State Energy Campus is represented by the lobbying firm that once employed Harmon’s chief of staff, Jacob Butcher, a relationship that has drawn scrutiny and questions about a potential conflict of interest from within some political circles at the statehouse.

But Harmon sharply defended his top aide in his first public comments on the issue and insisted Butcher’s past association “does not factor in at all” in the push by Senate Democrats to find some way to keep Prairie State from the green-energy chopping block.

“Jake Butcher left lobbying behind when he returned to public service at my request, and he works for me and he gives me good advice and I appreciate his wealth of knowledge. But his prior representations of anybody, including renewable companies, has no bearing on energy policy in the Senate Democratic caucus,” Harmon said.

And when asked about how he viewed some at the statehouse questioning Butcher being in the room as Prairie State’s future is debated, Harmon said going after legislative staffers is off-limits.

“I’m trying to bite my tongue,” Harmon said. “I would not call out the governor’s staff or the speaker’s staff for decisions or actions that the governor or the speaker take. Our caucus operates as a collection of elected representatives of the people who send us here to Springfield. We couldn’t do our jobs without an incredibly able staff. But we don’t throw staff under the bus. We’re the ones who are accountable to the people who send us here.”

The Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee is meeting this morning at 10:30.

* Related…

* Coal Makes Play To Save Itself While Business Groups Throw Cold Water On Energy Deal

* As deaths from burning coal decline, natural gas now a leading hazard, study shows