Leaders from the Quad Cities and Clinton have come together to formulate a letter calling on lawmakers to pass legislation that would allow Exelon power plants to remain open and viable in Illinois.
According to Tim Followell, City Administrator for the City of Clinton, the letter specifically addresses the energy standards in New York, which he calls a road map for Illinois legislation.
Followell indicates there's several leaders of the various entities touched by the possible closures of the Quad Cities and Clinton Exelon Power Plants signed the letter.
Followell says there's not been anything handed down to him that would indicate there has been much progress though he notes Exelon leaders continue to meet with Governor Bruce Rauner, which he feels is encouraging.
Read the entirety of the letter here:
Today, mayors and community leaders across Illinois sent a letter to Illinois’ Governor and legislative leaders urging them to follow New York’s lead in adopting a new energy program that will preserve the economic and environmental benefits of nuclear plants.
Backed by business, labor, and environmental groups, the New York Public Service Commission recently approved a Clean Energy Standard (CES) that includes provisions to value nuclear energy for its low carbon attributes and will help preserve several struggling nuclear plants in upstate New York. Among them, the James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant was slated for closure but now has new life after Exelon announced this morning it is assuming ownership and operation of the facility thanks to the adoption of the landmark CES.
“New York’s Clean Energy Standard is a roadmap for effective policy in Illinois,” said Tim Followell, city administrator of Clinton, Ill. “With 4,200 high-paying jobs and $1.2 billion in economic activity on the line, we need to act now to pass legislation that will preserve our state’s nuclear plants and the economic and environmental benefits that go with them.”
Energy legislation has been introduced in Illinois that would recognize these benefits, but policymakers have failed to act and now two plants, Clinton and Quad Cities, are slated for premature closure. The mayors’ letter states that, “if these plants are allowed to close, it will decimate our tax base, cause local businesses to cut jobs, and force our towns to lose good people.”
“It is disconcerting that our elected officials have failed to pass meaningful legislation for two entire sessions now,” said Cordova Mayor Dean Moyer. “Their inaction comes at a huge cost to Illinois families and communities like mine. None of us can move forward if our elected officials don’t either.”
Without passage of energy legislation, the plants in Clinton and Quad Cities are scheduled to close in 2017 and 2018. The letter concludes with a plea to policymakers, noting that “it is not too late to take action on comprehensive energy legislation and avoid the premature closure of our state’s nuclear plants.”
