Kendall County Times

With a pair of area nuclear plants scheduled to be shut down over the next three months, a group of Republican lawmakers is doing all it can to save residents' jobs.

“We must keep our nuclear fleet open,” state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) posted on Facebook. “Our state and its residents cannot afford to let these plants be decommissioned. According to modeling by Vibrant Clean Energy, LLC, who has done consulting for multiple state governments, the federal government, utilities and companies, 70 percent of Illinois customers will pay billions more to reach 100 percent carbon-free energy without reliable nuclear energy.”

Joining Rezin in demanding that all parties return to the table to hammer out a deal that keeps plants in Byron and Dresden open are state Sen. Brian Stewart (R-Freeport), Deputy House Republican Leader Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) and House Republican Conference Chair Leader David Welter (R-Morris).

“If action is not taken soon, tens of thousands of workers will lose their livelihoods, millions of utility customers across Illinois will begin paying higher energy costs, and we will all suffer an immediate environmental impact equivalent to putting 4.4 million additional cars on the road, emitting carbon and other harmful sources of air pollution,” the group said in a statement. “Too much is at stake to wait for the demands of every individual interest group to be satisfied in a comprehensive energy package. We must act now to pass the provisions there is broad agreement on, which include preserving Illinois’ nuclear fleet and extending the state’s renewable portfolio standard with incentives for critical solar and wind initiatives.”

With revenue losses at both facilities reported to be in the hundreds of millions, earlier this month owner Exelon Generation filed for decommission, one of the final steps in ending operations at Byron. In taking that step, company officials also warned that a similar outcome could soon hit plants in Braidwood and LaSalle if lawmakers don’t come together to act now.

“With no signs of a breakthrough on clean energy legislation in Springfield, we have no choice but to take these final steps in preparation for shutting down the plants,” said Exelon Generation Chief Nuclear Officer Dave Rhoades.

Byron is officially scheduled to shut down in September and Dresden in November.