Section 20 ILCS 1110/3 - Powers and duties The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall have the following powers and duties:
(a) To solicit, accept and expend gifts, grants or any form of assistance, from any source, including but not limited to, the federal government or any agency thereof; (b) To enter into contracts, including, but not limited to, service contracts, with business, industrial, university, governmental or other qualified individuals or organizations to promote development of coal and other energy resources. Such contracts may be for, but are not limited to, the following purposes: (1) the commercial application of existing technology for development of coal resources, (2) to initiate or complete development of new technology for development of coal resources, and (3) for planning, design, acquisition, development, construction, improvement and financing a site or sites and facilities for establishing plants, projects or demonstrations for development of coal resources and research, development and demonstration of alternative forms of energy; and (c) In the exercise of other powers granted it under this Act, to acquire property, real, personal or mixed, including any rights therein, by exercise of the power of condemnation in accordance with the procedures provided for the exercise of eminent domain under the Eminent Domain Act , provided, however, the power of condemnation shall be exercised solely for the purposes of siting and/or rights of way and/or easements appurtenant to coal utilization and/or coal conversion projects. The Department shall not exercise its powers of condemnation until it has used reasonable good faith efforts to acquire such property before filing a petition for condemnation and may thereafter use such powers when it determines that such condemnation of property rights is necessary to avoid unreasonable delay or economic hardship to the progress of activities carried out in the exercise of powers granted under this Act. After June 30, 1985, the Department shall not exercise its power of condemnation for a project which does not receive State or U.S. Government funding. Before use of the power of condemnation for projects not receiving State or U.S. Government funding, the Department shall hold a public hearing to receive comments on the exercise of the power of condemnation. The Department shall use the information received at hearing in making its final decision on the exercise of the power of condemnation. The hearing shall be held in a location reasonably accessible to the public interested in the decision. The Department shall promulgate guidelines for the conduct of the hearing.Amended by P.A. 094-1055, § 95-10-25, eff. 1/1/2007.Amended by P.A. 094-0793, § 230, eff. 5/19/2006.P.A. 89-445, eff. 2-7-96.