Illinois House passes bill lifting nuclear power plant moratorium - WGEM
Illinois House passes bill lifting nuclear power plant moratorium
SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) - A bill ending Illinois’ ban on building new nuclear power plants is headed to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk. The state House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation Thursday lifting the 36-year-old moratorium.
The Illinois state Senate passed the same bill Wednesday.
Pritzker vetoed a similar bill on Aug. 11 after it passed in the spring. Lawmakers believe he’ll sign the new legislation.
The bill would allow for new construction of small modular nuclear reactors after the moratorium is lifted in 2026.
Plants would not go up right away. It takes up to five years to clear federal regulatory hurdles according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Advocates insist Illinois needs power. With coal plants set to go offline by 2045, the state needs to act now to meet its future energy needs.
“With the proliferation of EVs and other energy-consuming manufacturing processes we’re just going to be short on energy and we need to find a way to be able to precure it but also make it carbon free,” said Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, the bill’s main House sponsor.
Sierra Club Illinois opposes the bill, they released a state Thursday following the bill’s passage.
“We’re disappointed that the General Assembly has opened the door to unproven nuclear energy in the same week that the only small nuclear project in the US has been terminated due to exorbitant costs and lack of subscribers.
“It’s critical that Illinois keep our eye on the goals set in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which is already producing thousands of good jobs and building our clean energy future. We need to focus on meeting our clean energy goals by expediting wind, solar, and storage projects waiting to be added to our grid, building and expanding transmission lines, and prioritizing energy efficiency measures that lower costs for consumers. That remains our focus, not opening the door to more nuclear waste in our communities and the massive rate hikes or subsidies that would be needed to pay for new nuclear plants, if and when they ever become available.”
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