Friday morning, Rep. Bill Mitchell started a petition to not only allow the Clinton and DeWitt County community to show support for it's largest employer, but to show lawmakers the support behind it.

Local leaders on hand unanimously stated their support for the Clinton Exelon Nuclear Power Station. According to County Board Chair David Newberg, a potential loss of the power station would put the County into devastating circumstances.

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Ruth Stauffer is the Executive Director of the DeWitt County Development Council. She says it's not about Exelon getting an edge on their competition, but rather bringing balance to the playing field so they can fairly compete.

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The biggest benefactor of the power station's presence in the community is the Clinton school district. According to Superintendent Dr. Jeff Holmes, if the power plant was to leave, they would have to cut back very popular and successful programs, and have serious discussions about raising taxes to make up for the shortfall in their budget.

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In recent years, the district and Exelon have been unable to come to an agreement on the assessed value of the power plant, despite that, Dr. Holmes says having the power plant in the community is better than no power plant. He says it is not option to have the power plant close and is always going to support keeping it open.

To sign the petition that Rep. Mitchell has started, you can visit a number of local establishments, including the DeWitt County Development Council in Warner Court in Clinton. You can also stop by the Chamber of Commerce in Clinton.