Current:Home > reviewsIllinois Senate approves plan to allow new nuclear reactors -MarketEdge
Illinois Senate approves plan to allow new nuclear reactors
View
Date:2025-04-17 11:45:49
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Senate approved lifting a 36-year-old moratorium on new nuclear power installments on Wednesday in a plan proponents say will ensure the state can meet its carbon-free power production promise by 2045.
The Senate’s 44-7 endorsement opens the door for cutting-edge nuclear technology in so-called small modular reactors, designed to sit on sites for which they produce power, such as large factories.
Environmentalists have criticized the plan, noting that small modular reactors are a decade or more from viability. Sponsoring Sen. Sue Rezin, a Republican from Morris, said that’s the reason, coupled with a federal permitting process of as much as eight years, her legislation is timely.
“If we want to take advantage of the amazing advancements in new nuclear technology that have occurred over the past couple of decades and not fall behind the rest of the states, we need to act now,” Rezin said.
The House has through Thursday — the scheduled adjournment of the General Assembly’s fall session — to OK the proposal and send it to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Under the legislation, Illinois would allow development of small modular reactors in January 2026. That’s when a report on necessary safety measures and updated guidelines would be due.
The plan also tasks the Illinois Emergency Management Agency with oversight of newly installed reactors. Rezin added that layer of inspection, despite her contention that strict federal control is sufficient, to appease a concerned Pritzker. The Democrat cited the issue as one that caused him to side with environmentalists and veto initial legislation Rezin saw approved overwhelmingly last spring.
Just over two years ago, Pritzker signed a law requiring the state to use only carbon-free electricity by 2045. That means closing numerous coal-fired power plants and investing heavily in wind and solar energy. It also included a $700 million bailout to keep afloat two unprofitable nuclear plants in the states, validating for Rezin and other supporters that nuclear power must remain part of the picture.
“As we move toward a clean energy future and we start taking certain types of energy offline, we have to have something to replace all those megawatts,” said Sen. Patrick Joyce, a Reddick Democrat. “As technology changes, we need to make sure that we change with it.”
veryGood! (78)
Related
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Georgia impresses, but Michigan still leads the college football NCAA Re-Rank 1-133
- Sudan and Iran resume diplomatic relations severed 7 years ago, promising to ‘open embassies soon’
- Washington sheriff's deputy accused of bloodying 62-year-old driver who pulled over to sleep
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Hamas’ attack on Israel prompts South Korea to consider pausing military agreement with North Korea
- Harvard professor Claudia Goldin awarded Nobel Prize in Economics
- Publishing executive found guilty in Tokyo Olympics bribery scandal, but avoids jail time
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Bachelor Nation's Astrid Loch Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 2 With Husband Kevin Wendt
Ranking
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Casino industry spurs $329 billion in US economic activity, study by gambling group shows
- Canada and the Netherlands take Syria to top UN court. They accuse Damascus of widespread torture
- Russia faces a tough fight to regain its seat in the UN’s top human rights body
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Krispy Kreme, Scooby-Doo partner to create limited-edition Scooby-Doo Halloween Dozen
- Israeli and Palestinian supporters rally across US after Hamas attack: 'This is a moment to not be alone'
- Harvard professor Claudia Goldin awarded Nobel Prize in Economics
Recommendation
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
An 'anti-World's Fair' makes its case: give land back to Native Americans
2 Pakistani soldiers and 5 insurgents are killed in a shootout on the border with Afghanistan
3 of 4 killed in crash involving stolen SUV fleeing attempted traffic stop were teens, police say
Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
Watch: Haunting pumpkin lights up Vegas' MSG Sphere to kick off Halloween time
2 elderly people found dead in NW Indiana home from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning
Vegas Golden Knights receive championship rings, which have replica of arena inside