The Illinois Senate has passed a massive Clean Energy Bill that would close the Prairie State Energy Campus in Southwest Washington County by 2045.
The measure would also close many private coal-fired power plants by 2030 and aims to have one million electric cars on the road by 2030. Supporting Senator Sue Rezin of Morris says subsidies are also included to keep the Dresden and Byron Nuclear Power Plants open.
“With this bill, we can protect those jobs and reinstall stability in their lives. This bill would build a 100 percent clean energy economy in Illinois and preserve the state’s nuclear fleet,” said Rezin.
Senator Darren Bailey of Louisville is strongly opposed to helping Commonwealth Edison with the nuclear plants.
“Our state government has allowed Illinois workers to be held hostage by a corrupt corny, corporate crime syndicate. Think about that for a minute. We’ve been threatened and pushed around by a corporation that has admitted to criminal wrongdoing,” said Bailey.
Under the plan approved by the State Senate, it’s estimated that residential ratepayers would see a three percent increase on their monthly bill. The measure now moves to the house, where negotiations are expected to continue. Governor Pritzker has indicated he doesn’t think the Senate-passed bill goes far enough to assure clean energy.
