The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (Public Act 102-0662 or “CEJA”) as amended by the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (Public Act 104-0458 or “CRGA”) which will take effect on June 1, 2026, amended the Illinois Power Agency Act to expand the “priority access to the clean energy economy for businesses and workers from communities that have been excluded from economic opportunities in the energy sector, have been subject to disproportionate levels of pollution, and have disproportionately experienced negative public health outcomes.”

CEJA directed the Illinois Power Agency (“IPA” or “Agency”) to help historically underserved communities participate in and benefit from the growing clean energy economy in Illinois. The Minimum Equity Standard Compliance Plan is the reporting mechanism the Program Administrator uses to assess understanding of compliance requirements and estimated project workforce demographics.

For Program Year 2026-27, at least 14% of the project workforce for each entity participating in the Illinois Shines Program must be composed of Equity Eligible Persons (EEPs). All Approved Vendors (AVs) and Designees participating in the 2026-27 Program Year are required to submit an MES Compliance Plan, describing how the requirement will be met over the course of the year.

The Equity Accountability System Hub provides helpful resources and tips for MES Combined Compliance and Year-End Report submissions: https://illinoisshines.com/equity-accountability-system-hub/

Please note that asterisks indicate required sections. Once submitted, MES Compliance Plans will become public records that may be subject to disclosure under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140); as such, if any information within this MES Compliance Plan should be protected from disclosure, please indicate in question #XX of this form what information, if any, in this form is proprietary, privileged, or confidential, and the disclosure of that information would case competitive harm.

Program Year 2026-27 MES Compliance Plan

In this section, you will be reporting on the upcoming Program Year’s workforce, describing how your organization aims to achieve the MES for the 2026-27 Program Year.

For Program Year 2026-27, at least 14% of the project workforce for each entity participating in the Illinois Shines program must be composed of Equity Eligible Persons (EEPs). All Approved Vendors and Designees participating in the Program are required to submit an MES Compliance Plan.

Participation means:

  • Submitting projects to Illinois Shines
  • Performing construction on a previously Part I approved project
  • Conducting any sales or marketing activity for projects that have been or will be submitted to the Program
  • Managing subscriptions for a community solar project that holds a REC contract (including projects approved prior to the passage of CEJA)
  • Maintaining a project on a waitlist
  • Otherwise conducting activities or business on a project seeking or that holds a REC contract?

If you answer ‘no’, you do not need to complete the rest of the form. Choosing ‘no’ to this question will complete your submission.