220 ILCS 5/7-102
2021 Illinois Compiled Statutes|Chapter 220 - UTILITIES|220 ILCS 5/ - Public Utilities Act.|Article VII - Intercorporate Relations

 (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 7-102)Sec. 7-102.     Transactions requiring Commission approval.(A) Unless the  consent and approval of the Commission is first  obtained or unless such approval is waived by the Commission or is exempted  in  accordance with the provisions of this Section or of any other Section of  this Act:(a) No 2 or more public utilities may enter into     contracts with each other that will enable such public utilities to operate their lines or plants in connection with each other.(b) No public utility may purchase, lease, or in any     other manner acquire control, direct or indirect, over the franchises, licenses, permits, plants, equipment, business or other property of any other public utility.(c) No public utility may assign, transfer, lease,     mortgage, sell (by option or otherwise), or otherwise dispose of or encumber the whole or any part of its franchises, licenses, permits, plant, equipment, business, or other property, but the consent and approval of the Commission shall not be required for the sale, lease, assignment or transfer (1) by any public utility of any tangible personal property which is not necessary or useful in the performance of its duties to the public, or (2) by any railroad of any real or tangible personal property.(d) No public utility may by any means, direct or     indirect, merge or consolidate its franchises, licenses, permits, plants, equipment, business or other property with that of any other public utility.(e) No public utility may purchase, acquire, take or     receive any stock, stock certificates, bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness of any other public utility.(f) No public utility may in any manner, directly or     indirectly, guarantee the performance of any contract or other obligation of any other person, firm or corporation whatsoever.(g) No public utility may use, appropriate, or divert     any of its moneys, property or other resources in or to any business or enterprise which is not, prior to such use, appropriation or diversion essentially and directly connected with or a proper and necessary department or division of the business of such public utility; provided that this subsection shall not be construed as modifying subsections (a) through (e) of this Section.(h) No public utility may, directly or indirectly,     invest, loan or advance, or permit to be invested, loaned or advanced any of its moneys, property or other resources in, for, in behalf of or to any other person, firm, trust, group, association, company or corporation whatsoever, except that no consent or approval by the Commission is necessary for the purchase of stock in development credit corporations organized under the Illinois Development Credit Corporation Act, providing that no such purchase may be made hereunder if, as a result of such purchase, the cumulative purchase price of all such shares owned by the utility would exceed one-fiftieth of one per cent of the utility's gross operating revenue for the preceding calendar year.(B) Any public utility may present to the Commission for  approval  options or contracts to sell or lease real property, notwithstanding  that the value of the property under option may have changed between the  date of the option and the subsequent date of sale or lease. If the  options or contracts are approved by the Commission, subsequent sales or  leases in conformance with those options or contracts may be made by the  public utility without any further action by the Commission. If approval  of the options or contracts is denied by the Commission, the options or  contracts are void and any consideration theretofore paid to the public  utility must be refunded within 30 days following disapproval of the  application.(C) The proceedings for obtaining the approval of the Commission  provided  for in this Section shall be as follows: There shall be filed with  the Commission a petition, joint or otherwise, as the case may be,  signed and verified by the president, any vice president, secretary,  treasurer, comptroller, general manager, or chief engineer of the  respective companies, or by the person or company, as the case may be,  clearly setting forth the object and purposes desired, and setting forth  the full and complete terms of the proposed assignment, transfer, lease,  mortgage, purchase, sale, merger, consolidation, contract or other  transaction, as the case may be. Upon the filing of such petition, the  Commission shall, if it deems necessary, fix a time and place for the  hearing thereon. After such hearing, or in case no hearing is required,  if the Commission is satisfied that such petition should reasonably be  granted, and that the public will be convenienced thereby, the  Commission shall make such order in the premises as it may deem proper  and as the circumstances may require, attaching such conditions as it  may deem proper, and thereupon it shall be lawful to do the things  provided for in such order. The Commission shall impose such conditions  as will protect the interest of minority and preferred stockholders.(D) The Commission shall have power by general rules applicable alike to  all public utilities, other than electric and gas public utilities,  affected thereby to waive the filing and necessity  for approval of the following: (a) sales of property involving a  consideration of not more than $300,000 for utilities with gross revenues in  excess of $50,000,000 annually and a consideration of not more than  $100,000 for all other utilities;  (b)  leases, easements and  licenses involving a consideration or rental of not more than $30,000 per  year for utilities with gross revenues in excess of $50,000,000 annually and  a  consideration or rental of not more than $10,000 per  year for all other utilities; (c) leases of office building space not  required by  the public  utility in rendering service to the public; (d) the temporary leasing,  lending or interchanging of equipment in the ordinary course of business  or in case of an emergency; and (e) purchase-money mortgages given by a  public utility in connection with the purchase of tangible personal  property where the total obligation to be secured shall be payable  within a period not exceeding one year. However, if the  Commission,  after a hearing, finds that any public utility to which such rule is  applicable is abusing or has abused  such general rule and thereby is evading compliance with the standard  established herein, the Commission shall have power to require such  public utility to thereafter file and receive the Commission's approval  upon all such transactions as described in this Section, but such  general rule shall remain in full force and effect as to all other  public utilities to which such rule is applicable.(E) The filing of, and the consent and approval of the Commission for,  any  assignment, transfer, lease, mortgage, purchase, sale, merger, consolidation,  contract or other transaction by an electric or gas public utility with gross  revenues in all jurisdictions of $250,000,000 or more annually involving a sale  price or annual consideration in an amount of $5,000,000 or less shall not be  required.  The Commission shall also have the authority, on petition by an  electric or gas public utility with gross revenues in all jurisdictions of  $250,000,000 or more annually, to establish by order higher thresholds than the  foregoing for the requirement of approval of transactions by the Commission  pursuant to this Section for the electric or gas public utility, but no greater  than 1% of the electric or gas public utility's average total gross utility  plant in service in the case of sale, assignment or acquisition of property, or  2.5% of the electric or gas public utility's total revenue in the case of  other sales price or annual consideration, in each case based on the preceding  calendar year, and subject to the power of the Commission, after notice and  hearing, to further revise those thresholds at a later date.  In addition to  the foregoing, the Commission shall have power by general rules applicable  alike to all electric and gas public utilities affected thereby to waive the  filing and necessity for approval of the following: (a) sales of property  involving a consideration of $100,000 or less for electric and gas utilities  with gross revenues in all jurisdictions of less than $250,000,000 annually;  (b)  leases, easements and licenses involving a consideration or rental of not more  than $10,000 per year for electric and gas utilities with gross revenues in all  jurisdictions of less than $250,000,000 annually; (c) leases of office building  space not required by the electric or gas public utility in rendering service  to the public; (d) the temporary leasing, lending or interchanging of equipment  in the ordinary course of business or in the case of an emergency; and (e)  purchase-money mortgages given by an electric or gas public utility in  connection with the purchase of tangible personal property where the total  obligation to be secured shall be payable within a period of one year or less.  However, if the Commission, after a hearing, finds that any electric or gas  public utility is abusing or has abused such general rule and thereby is  evading compliance with the standard established herein, the Commission shall  have power to require such electric or gas public utility to thereafter file  and receive the Commission's approval upon all such transactions as described  in this Section and not exempted pursuant to the first sentence of this  paragraph or to subsection (g) of Section 16-111 of this Act, but such general  rule shall remain in full force and effect as to all other electric and gas  public utilities.Every assignment, transfer, lease, mortgage, sale or other  disposition or encumbrance of the whole or any part of the franchises,  licenses, permits, plant, equipment, business or other property of any  public utility, or any merger or consolidation thereof, and every  contract, purchase of stock, or other transaction referred to in this  Section and not exempted in accordance with the provisions of the immediately  preceding paragraph of this Section, made otherwise than in accordance with  an order  of the  Commission authorizing the same, except as provided in this Section,  shall be void. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any  transactions by or with a political subdivision or municipal corporation  of this State.(F) The provisions of this Section do not apply to the purchase or sale  of  emission allowances created under and defined in Title IV of the federal Clean  Air Act Amendments of 1990 (P.L. 101-549), as amended.    (Source: P.A. 90-561, eff. 12-16-97; 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)