The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks resulted in the cancellation of many activities, including a meeting scheduled by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). The ICC was going to review the issue of joint marketing by Illinois gas utilities and their affiliate companies. The cancellation of the meeting put an end to the review process because of a stipulation in Illinois law.

According to Chris Colditz, president of the Northern Illinois Chapter of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (NIACCA), “when Illinois state agencies start to write rules, those rules must be completed within a one-year deadline. Even when the ICC delayed their vote for one month, the legislative Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) still had one more meeting to review the issue.

“There is a provision that if the JCAR choose not to review an agency’s rules, that the agency can invoke the rules, which is exactly what they did — ignoring the obvious reason [terrorist attacks] for the lack of review. So, joint marketing is now legal in Illinois.

Publication date: 10/29/2001