UPDATED: Bill Lifting Nuclear Moratorium Headed to Pritzker's Desk
Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) listens as Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) speaks on her bill lifting the moratorium on nuclear construction in Illinois in the Senate Wednesday. (Photo: Capitol News Illinois)
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The Illinois Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday ending the state’s decades-long ban on the construction of new nuclear power in the state, but only for so called “small modular reactors.”
The bill passed the Senate 44-7 Wednesday afternoon.
Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) moved an amendment to HB2473 through the Senate Executive Committee Tuesday afternoon and the full Senate took the issue up Wednesday
The amendment reduces the size of megawatts allowed and gives the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) more oversight on the new technology.
Critics have said small modular reactor technology isn’t ready to go yet, but Rezin disagrees.
“The federal regulatory permitting process already takes six to eight years, so if we want to take advantage of the amazing advancements in new nuclear technology that have occurred over the past decade and prevent our state from falling behind the rest of the nation, we need to end this moratorium now,” Rezin said in a statement. “Nuclear provides clean, reliable, and secure energy that we can count on as we strive to reach our clean energy goals in Illinois.”
The House could take up the bill Thursday morning. It also appears the Governor’s office is on board.
“It’s getting done,” one lobbyist said. “Finally.”
UPDATE: The House overwhelmingly approved the legislation Thursday sending it to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk.