Legislative findings and objectives

(220 ILCS 31/1-5)     Sec. 1-5. Legislative findings and objectives. The General Assembly finds:         (1) Municipal and cooperative electric utilities     provide electricity to more than 1,000,000 State residents.        (2) Municipal utilities are public bodies governed     and managed by elected public officials or their appointees. Electric cooperatives are not-for-profit, member-owned entities governed and managed by elected boards of directors chosen by their member consumers. Due to their governance structures, municipal and cooperative electric utilities are exempt from certain regulatory requirements under State and federal law.        (3) Because democratic elections by member-ratepayers     or customers are the ultimate guarantor of the integrity and cost-effectiveness of these utilities' operations, access to information and decision-making is crucial to ensuring management of these utilities is prudent and responsive.        (4) While not always applicable to municipal and     electric cooperatives, integrated resource planning processes have been used in other states to attempt to avoid capacity shortfalls, minimize ratepayer costs, and increase public participation in and knowledge of electric generation portfolio choices.        (5) It is in the long-term best interests of State     electricity customers and member-ratepayers that electricity is provided by a diverse portfolio of generation resources that may include generation ownership, power supply contracts, storage resources, and demand-side programs that minimizes costs and strives to ensure reliable service to customers while considering environmental impacts and that long-term utility planning can help facilitate the achievement of reasonable and stable rates, reliability, and State and federal environmental law through such portfolios.        (6) Municipal and electric cooperatives utilities     should perform a comprehensive analysis of their existing portfolio and identify opportunities to minimize member-ratepayer and customer costs while maintaining reliability and meeting State and federal environmental law.         (7) To ensure utilities minimize ratepayer costs     while maintaining reliability and meeting State and federal environmental law, and to increase transparency and democratic participation, it is important that municipal and cooperative electric utilities participate in an integrated resource planning process with meaningful and appropriate participation and engagement.(Source: P.A. 104-458, eff. 6-1-26.)