2023 Illinois Compiled Statutes › Chapter 220 - UTILITIES › 220 ILCS 15/ - Gas Storage Act.

(220 ILCS 15/0.01) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 5500)
Sec. 0.01. 
		Short title. 
		This Act may be cited as the
Gas Storage Act.
(Source: P.A. 86-1324.)
(220 ILCS 15/1) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 5501)
Sec. 1. 
		
		Any corporation which is engaged in or desires to engage in, the
distribution, transportation or storage of natural gas or manufactured gas,
which gas, in whole or in part, is intended for ultimate distribution to
the public in the State of Illinois, if the said business of such
corporation is regulated or subject to regulation under either the laws of
the State of Illinois or the laws of the United States, shall have the
right to enter upon, take or damage private property or any interest
therein, in the manner provided for by the law of eminent domain, necessary
or convenient for its said operations, including the storage of gas, all of
which operations are hereby recognized and declared to be affected with a
public interest and all of the property used in which operations is hereby
recognized and declared to be devoted to public use.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 395.)
(220 ILCS 15/1.5)
Sec. 1.5. Eminent domain. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, any power granted under this Act to acquire property by condemnation or eminent domain is subject to, and shall be exercised in accordance with, the Eminent Domain Act.
(Source: P.A. 94-1055, eff. 1-1-07.)
(220 ILCS 15/2) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 5502)
Sec. 2. 
		
		Before the right of condemnation may be exercised for the
acquisition of property, or any interest therein, for underground storage
of gas, said corporation shall make application to the Illinois Commerce
Commission (hereafter referred to in this Act as the Commission) for an
order and must receive an order approving the proposed storage project. No
such order shall be issued by the Commission unless it shall contain and be
based on findings that the proposed storage will be confined to geological
stratum or strata lying more than five hundred feet below the surface of
the soil; that the proposed storage will not injure any water resources;
that the proposed storage will involve no condemnation of any interest in
any geological stratum or formation within the area of the proposed storage
project containing oil, gas or coal within such area in commercial paying
quantities, producible through primary production methods, either with or
without pressure maintenance, or secondary recovery methods of any type;
that the public convenience and necessity of a substantial portion of the
gas consuming public in the state will be served by such acquisition; and
unless said order contains conditions and restrictions which will
reasonably protect:
(a) private property or any interest therein not appropriated;
(b) the rights of the owners of the lands lying within the boundaries of
said proposed storage area or persons claiming under them, or of the owners
of the minerals thereunder or those claiming under them to explore for,
drill for, produce, develop, conduct secondary recovery operations (such as
waterflood or gas injection operations) for the recovery of oil or gas on
or under said lands, or to drill wells on said lands for the development
and production of water or the disposal of salt water, fresh water or waste
matter, all from or into strata other than any stratum to be condemned for
gas storage.
(c) any public resources of the state which may be affected by such use.
The Commission shall in such order require such corporation to carry
public liability insurance in an amount determined by the Commission, with
an insurer satisfactory to the Commission, or at the election of the
corporation to deposit collateral approved by the Commission in an amount
determined by the latter, to secure payment of any damage resulting from
any occurrence arising out of or caused by operation or use of the gas
storage reservoir. The Commission order shall require that such insurance
be maintained for a term of ten years from the date of the beginning of
operation or use of the project and that such corporation appear before it
not less than 90 days prior to the expiration of such ten year term and
show cause why such insurance should not be renewed for an additional term
of ten years with a like obligation on the corporation as to further
renewal at the end of such latter term. Such procedure shall apply
thereafter for successive ten year terms so long as the Commission
continues to require such insurance.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 395.)
(220 ILCS 15/3) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 5503)
Sec. 3. 
		
		Upon the filing of the application specified in Section 2 hereof,
the Commission shall set a date for a hearing thereon, and said corporation
shall thereupon cause notice of said hearing to be given by publishing
notice thereof at least once each week for three successive weeks in some
newspaper of general circulation in the county or counties wherein the gas
is proposed to be stored, the first such publication to be at least 21 days
prior to the date of the hearing. Any order approving the proposed storage
project shall not be operative against any privately owned interest in any
tract of land, unless notice of said hearing be sent at least 21 days prior
thereto by registered mail to the record owner thereof to his last known
address as disclosed by the records of the Tax Collector of the county
wherein such land is located, proof of which shall be made by affidavit
filed in the proceeding.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 395.)
(220 ILCS 15/4) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 5504)
Sec. 4. 
		
		At the hearing on said application, the Commission shall receive
and hear and make a record of such relevant evidence on the issues as may
be offered by any person directly interested, and shall enter an order
either granting or denying the relief sought, which order shall specify the
Commission's findings and directions on the relevant issues and conditions
listed in Section 2 hereof.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 395.)
(220 ILCS 15/5) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 5505)
Sec. 5. 
		
		Any person directly affected by the order of the Commission shall
have the right to bring a civil action to test the lawfulness and
reasonableness of the order by filing a complaint in the Circuit Court of
the county in which the proposed storage area or any part thereof, may lie,
against the Commission or the members thereof as defendants, for review of
such order.  Such action shall be brought within 30 days of the
entry of the order by the Commission and in the event no such action is
filed within that time, the order of the Commission shall be final.  In such
action the court may stay the order of the Commission until the court shall
enter its judgment.  In such action the burden of proof shall be upon the
party complaining of such order and such order shall be deemed prima facie
valid.  Any person directly interested in the subject matter may, in the
discretion of the court, be permitted to intervene in such action.  Any
party to such action may offer in evidence all or any part of the record of
the hearing before the Commission, and any other relevant evidence.  The
practice, pleading and proceedings in such action, which shall be equitable
in nature, shall conform to the rules prescribed by the Civil Practice
Law as far as the same may be applicable.  The court
shall have
jurisdiction to enter a judgment affirming or setting aside the order, or
remanding the cause to the Commission with directions to modify such order
so that it shall conform to this Act. Such action shall
have precedence over other matters before the court.  Appeals may be taken
by any party to such action in the same manner and to the same extent as in
other civil actions.
(Source: P.A. 82-783.)
(220 ILCS 15/6) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 5506)
Sec. 6. 
		
		Upon receiving an order approving such gas storage project, such
corporation shall have the right to utilize for the storage project so
approved any geological stratum or formation required thereby, lying more
than five hundred feet below the surface (but not including the surface) of
any real estate owned by the State of Illinois, or owned by any political
subdivision, including, but not restricted to, any municipal corporation or
quasi-municipal corporation, of the State of Illinois. Such corporation
shall as a condition of such utilization of real estate owned by such a
political subdivision pay thereto compensation in an amount ascertained in
the manner provided by the law of eminent domain. Such corporation shall as
a condition of such utilization of real estate owned by the State of
Illinois pay to the State Treasurer a reasonable compensation therefor in
such amount as may be determined by the Illinois Commerce Commission.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 395.)
(220 ILCS 15/7) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 5507)
Sec. 7. 
		
		The rights herein granted shall be in addition to any right now
possessed by any public utility to condemn property for use in its
operations. The filing and prosecution before the Illinois Commerce
Commission of an application pursuant to the rights granted hereby shall
not subject such corporation to any regulation by that Commission or by law
not otherwise applicable, or excuse it from any applicable law or
regulation.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 395.)
(220 ILCS 15/8) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 5508)
Sec. 8. 
		
		If any section, paragraph, sentence or phrase of this Act shall
be declared unconstitutional, or void for any reason by any court of final
jurisdiction, such fact shall not in any manner invalidate or affect any
other section, paragraph, sentence or phrase of this Act, but the same
shall continue in full force and effect.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 395.)