Oak Park state senator key figure in smart grid approval

Oak Park state senator key figure in smart grid approval

Sen. Don Harmon introduced revised bill that led to overruling Quinn’s veto

Thursday, October 27th, 2011 12:58 PM

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By Marty Stempniak

Staff Reporter

A state senator who lives in Oak Park was a key figure behind the approval of a new «smart» electricity grid in the state of Illinois and the rate hike that will help pay for it.

ComEd has been maneuvering for a rate hike for months, which it says would help pay for a state-wide smart power grid that would include everything from self-healing power lines to meters that can tell users how much juice they’re using in real time.

Such a system is already being tested in Oak Park, and ComEd invited local officials to tour their advanced power station last month.

Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed the rate increase on Sept. 12, saying that it would give ComEd «billions» in automatic price hikes each year for the next decade, while cutting back on consumer protections.

But yesterday state legislators overruled Quinn’s veto, paving the way for the $3.2 billion smart grid build-out, which starts next year. The Chicago Tribune reports that it will take about 10 years to put together the infrastructure, and each ComEd customer will pay an extra $3 or so each month for the upgrades.

Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park introduced the «trailer» bill following Quinn’s veto, which asked ComEd (along with power company Ameren to make some concessions. Those include the requirement that the utilities create about 2,500 new jobs, impose penalties for not doing so and provide rate relief for low-income individuals and families.

«The end result is legislation that will bring much-needed innovation and reliability to the system that delivers electricity to households and businesses across the state,» Harmon said in a statement released yesterday. «These distribution system upgrades will create jobs throughout Illinois while other provisions in the package curtail utility corporation returns and increase ratepayer protections.

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