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HB 3464

RUST BELT TO GREEN BELT PILOT

104th Regular Session Introduced by Marcus Evans

Creates a 150 MW Illinois offshore wind pilot and a state fund to grow local jobs, while the IPA must procure 700,000 RECs annually for 20 years and cap rate impacts.

Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 3464

Summary — HB 3464: Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot

Status & key dates
- Bill number: HB 3464
- Title: Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot Program Act
- Introduced: Feb 18/27, 2025 (Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr.)
- Enacted: Signed by Governor 6/20/2025; effective 9/1/2025
- Amends: Illinois Power Agency Act (20 ILCS 3855/1‑75) and creates a new State Finance Act line‑item (30 ILCS 105/5.1030)

Purpose
- To establish a pilot program and related procurement requirements to support development of utility‑scale offshore wind in Illinois (Great Lakes/Lake Michigan), promote job creation in underrepresented communities (notably Chicago’s South Side), and ensure equity and inclusion in project workforce and contracting.

Primary components / key provisions
1. Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Pilot Program
- Establishes a pilot offshore wind project of at least 150 megawatts to develop local supply chain, workforce, and economic activity.
- Creates the Illinois Rust Belt to Green Belt Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will use the Fund to encourage and facilitate employment of construction workforces from underrepresented populations.

  1. Changes to Illinois Power Agency (IPA) procurement

    • Requires the IPA to procure at least 700,000 renewable energy credits (RECs), delivered annually for at least 20 years, from one new utility‑scale offshore wind project.
    • Directs the IPA to conduct at least one procurement for a new utility‑scale offshore wind project within 360 days after the amendatory Act’s effective date.

  2. Rate impact guardrails

    • The total renewable resources procured under the long‑term procurement plan must be reduced as necessary so that the estimated annual average net increase in amounts paid by eligible retail customers does not exceed:
      • 4.25% of the per‑kWh amount those customers paid during the year ending May 31, 2009; and
      • 4.5% after the new offshore wind project begins commercial operations and is expected to deliver power into the PJM transmission grid.

  3. Equity and inclusion requirements

    • Applicants for new utility‑scale offshore wind projects must file an “equity and inclusion plan” with DCEO as part of their IPA application.
    • The bill contemplates scoring of such plans (equity and inclusion plan scoring) as a component of procurement evaluation.

Other notable items
- The bill includes legislative findings about climate impacts, economic opportunity, and Illinois’s Lake Michigan and port assets (noting ~1,576 sq. miles of Lake Michigan in Illinois and ~4,528 MW potential offshore capacity).
- Confirms that Lake Michigan bed holdings are subject to public trust and that offshore developments require applicable permits (e.g., under the Rivers, Lakes and Streams Act / DNR processes).
- Defines key terms and tasks DCEO with program administration.

Who is affected
- Illinois Power Agency (procurement obligations)
- Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (program administration; Fund recipient)
- Offshore wind developers (new procurement requirements; equity/inclusion plan filing)
- Retail electricity customers (rate‑increase guardrails)
- Local workforce and underrepresented communities (target for jobs and contracting)
- Port and maritime infrastructure stakeholders (potential investment/use)

Potential impacts
- Accelerates a pathway for at least one utility‑scale offshore wind project serving PJM, with long‑term REC purchases to support project finance.
- Directs state resources and procurement to promote local jobs and inclusion, while imposing explicit limits intended to cap near‑term rate impacts on eligible retail customers.
- Triggers permitting and infrastructure planning tied to Lake Michigan regulatory regimes and port investments.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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