Membership

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of the Institute for Regulatory Policy Studies. The Institute plays a unique role in serving the regulatory community through communication, education and research of Illinois and Midwest public policy issues. We would like to partner with you to further these goals by having your institution become a member of the Institute.

We would be happy to send a formal letter of invitation and brochure if you are interested in pursuing this further. You may contact Dimitrios Nikolaou, Executive Director, at 309-438-8588 or email him at dnikola@ilstu.edu.

Member Companies

• Ameren Illinois
• Commonwealth Edison
• Constellation
• Illinois American Water
• Peoples Gas
• MISO Energy
• Nicor/AGL Resources
• PJM Interconnection

Membership Benefits

There are three types of membership: Full Membership, Associate Membership, and Government Membership. The privileges and fees for each type of membership are outlined below.

Full Membership Privileges and Fees

Full Membership is open to electricity, natural gas, and telecommunications companies, consumer and industry user groups, and government agencies. Full Members receive a seat on the Board of Advisors and on all committees and are eligible to receive an Institute-paid summer intern. Annual membership fees for Full Members are $7,500, payable to the Illinois State University Foundation on the first of July in each year.

Associate Membership Privileges and Fees

In order to qualify for Associate Member status, an organization must meet at least one of the following criteria.

• The organization must be recognized as a tax-exempt organization under the 501(c)(3) ruling of the IRS code and have as part of its mission to represent a certain customer class in regulatory proceedings. Representative organizations in this category would be CUB, AARP, IRMA, IIEC, etc.
• The organization must be a municipal or cooperative provider of electricity, natural gas or telecommunications service. Representative organizations in this category would be Cornbelt Electric or Springfield Municipal Electric Co.
• The organization is a trade association representing the above interests such as IMEA, AIEC, or IMGA.

Associate members receive the same benefits as Full Members with the following exceptions/clarifications.

1. Associate members do not have a seat on the Board of Advisors and are not eligible for an Institute-paid summer intern. Associate members, however, are entitled to have a representative on all conference planning committees (energy and telecom) and the research committee.
2. Membership benefits, such as reduced registration fees for IRPS-sponsored conferences and workshops, are only extended to direct employees of the organization. For example, if the AIEC became a member, employees of Cornbelt Electric are not eligible for discounts under the AIEC membership.

Annual membership fees for Associate Members are $3,000, payable to the Illinois State University Foundation on the first of July in each year.

Government Membership Privileges and Fees

Government membership is limited to the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Senate of the State of Illinois. Government Members shall each be entitled to a seat on the Board of Advisors and the Illinois Commerce Commission shall have a representative on all committees. Committee representatives shall be nominated by the Executive Director in consultation with the Chairperson of the Illinois Commerce Commission. Government Members are not eligible to receive an Institute-paid summer intern and do not pay any annual membership fees.