SE Illinois News

State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich) has accused  Gov. J.B. Pritzker of prioritizing his political ambitions over the energy needs of Illinois residents in vetoing Senate Bill 76, which would have lifted the moratorium on new nuclear power plants in Illinois.

“This legislation would have a much-needed stopgap to ensure Illinois residents had access to the power they need to heat and cool their homes," Niemerg wrote on Aug. 14. "J.B. Pritzker has demonstrated once again his priorities are his own political aspirations and currying favor with the donor class in the Democratic Party at our expense. His desire to run for president has put him at odds with even his party. We must protect Illinois’s future by overriding this senseless veto.”

The legislation would have lifted the state’s moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants, according to Energy News.  The legislation would have allowed the development of advanced nuclear reactors, including small modular reactors (SMRs). It had passed in the Senate on a 36-14 vote and 84-22 in the House but faced opposition from anti-nuclear activists and clean energy groups, which argued that renewable sources could meet the state’s energy needs more effectively.

Energy bills for Ameren customers in southern Illinois doubled in early 2022, and blackouts increased after Pritzker signed legislation creating shortfalls in energy production. “Some grid operators blamed coal plant retirements, pointed to state policy changes like Illinois’ nation-leading Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, and promoted fossil fuels as a reliability solution,” Meghan Hassett, Midwest Campaign Manager for the Center for Policy Advocacy, posted in a blog for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Notably, the first nuclear power reactor was constructed in a squash court under the University of Chicago football stadium. Named “Chicago Pile-1,” this initial human-created nuclear reactor initiated a series of events that reshaped global politics, led to nuclear energy production, opened new realms of scientific inquiry, and influenced key aspects of modern society, from weaponry to medicine, a University of Chicago news article said.