Gov. J.B. Pritzker vetoes bill that would have lifted state moratorium on new nuclear plants
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday vetoed a bipartisan proposal that would have lifted a decades-old ban on construction of nuclear power plants in Illinois., while also dealing a defeat to labor unions, who saw the measure as a way to generate construction projects and preserve high-paying energy sector jobs as coal and natural gas plants are shut down in the coming decades.
Pritzker said he wants lawmakers to make another attempt at crafting legislation that would include more safeguards for people living near new nuclear plants and that would be more targeted toward small modular reactors. The legislature, dominated by Pritzker’s fellow Democrats, could override the governor’s vetoes. Spokespeople for House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch of Hillside and Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park did not respond immediately to requests for comment on whether their respective chambers would attempt to override the governor.
Advocates for lifting the moratorium, including labor unions, argued that allowing the construction of nuclear plants would help smooth the transition from sources that produce climate-damaging carbon emissions while also providing more reliable power. “Nuclear power comes with significant safety risks and results in highly hazardous wastes that threaten our drinking water, with no safe, permanent waste solution in sight,” Illinois Environmental Council Executive Director Jen Walling said in a statement. “Rather than abandon all safeguards, Gov. Pritzker recognized that such substantial risks merit the highest protective guardrails our state can offer.
Although the Illinois moratorium has remained in place all these years, governors and lawmakers have remained mostly friendly and supportive of the nuclear industry.
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