IL SB3970

Requires the Illinois Commerce Commission to conduct comprehensive, independent cost-benefit analyses before approving any decarbonization pathway, pilot program, infrastructure investment, or regulatory mandate affecting the natural gas distribution system

Mandates evaluation of seven factors: life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions, cumulative energy system costs (including stranded asset risks estimated at $80 billion or more by 2050 under high-electrification scenarios), ratepayer bill impacts, system reliability and safety, equity impacts on vulnerable populations, workforce and job impacts, and whether competitive market mechanisms could achieve better outcomes at lower cost

Prohibits Commission approval of decarbonization initiatives unless they demonstrate net benefits without increasing costs disproportionate to the benefits achieved

Requires use of transparent, market-based data from PJM Interconnection, MISO, and Chicago Citygate pricing sources, with coordination to biennial long-term gas infrastructure plans

Amends the Public Utilities Act by adding new Section 8-106; introduced February 6, 2026 by Senator Seth Lewis