Door open for schools to chase wind power

It was an anticlimactic finish to a hard-fought, three-year battle.

With little pomp and circumstance, Gov. Pat Quinn last week signed a measure into law that will allow schools across the state to join together to develop and operate wind farms.

To pass the legislation, chief sponsor Rep. Fred Crespo had to cajole electric utilities and legislators from both parties and houses to support the measure - or at least to not actively work against it.

Crespo's efforts paid off, starting with House passage 96-1, continuing with Senate approval without a single no vote and culminating in Quinn's signature on June 25.

"It took us about three years to make this happen," Crespo said. "It was a lot of time and effort."

Here's what the School District Intergovernmental Cooperation Renewable Energy Act, as the legislation is called, does:

• Allows multiple school districts to form consortiums by separately approving intergovernmental agreements.

• Allows the consortiums to issue bonds.

• Allows school districts to use money from their operations and maintenance funds to pay off bonds issued by a consortium.

• Requires consortiums to register with the Secretary of State.

• Allows districts to disband a consortium.

Now, school districts, utilities and others with a stake in renewable energy will be watching to see if the experiment works.

First up are Community Unit District 300, Prospect Heights District 23 and Keeneyville Elementary District 20, which have formed a partnership in hopes of building a 20-megawatt wind farm downstate.

If the school districts can make the financials work, it's a sure thing other Illinois schools will be looking to offset their energy costs and close state funding gaps by tapping into renewable energy sources.

"This is the first time we've had a bill like this," Crespo said. "Hopefully this will serve as a model."