Pritzker vetos bill that would lift nuclear moratorium

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday vetoed a bill that would have enabled the construction of new nuclear reactors in Illinois for the first time in more than three decades.

The measure would have paved the way for what advocates deemed a necessary move to combat climate change. Opponents, however, regarded it as dangerous and expensive.

"The bill is vetoed because the vague definitions in the bill, including the overly broad definition of advanced reactors, will open the door to the proliferation of large-scale nuclear reactors that are so costly to build that they will cause exorbitant ratepayer-funded bailouts," Pritzker's office said. "Additionally, it provides no regulatory protections or updates to address the health and safety of Illinois residents who would live and work around these new reactors."

The legislation's Senate sponsor, Morris Republican Sue Rezin, said she has already filed paperwork to bring the bill up in the legislature's fall veto session scheduled for late October and early November.

Illinois already gets a much larger percentage - 54% in 2019 - of its electricity from nuclear power than other states do. Therefore, the state relies on it more to hit its climate goals, namely reaching 100% clean energy by 2050.

As part of the massive climate legislation package that lawmakers passed in 2021, the state agreed to pay up to $694 million over five years to keep a few nuclear plants open. The state currently has six.

Proponents of the legislation say nuclear power is the cleanest and most reliable alternative as the state transitions from coal and natural gas. Climate advocates generally agree advances in battery technology will be needed before renewable energy sources such as solar and wind can reliably fill the gaps when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing.

"With a supermajority in both chambers supporting SB76, we are disappointed, to say the least, that Gov. Pritzker has chosen to block this very popular bill," said Alan Medsker, the Illinois director for Campaign for a Green Nuclear Deal.

The legislation was passed by the Illinois Senate in a 39-13 vote in March and by the House in a 84-22-3 vote in May.

Medsker added that delaying the bill's passage prevents Illinois from having "long-overdue" discussions with nuclear developers, and its communities from being able to decide whether nuclear power is right for them.

"Our electrical grid in Illinois is reliable and robust, but that is not guaranteed to remain the case if we replace large amounts of reliable fossil fuel generation with weather-dependent ones that come and go, predictably or unpredictably," Medsker said. "Like most large infrastructure, nuclear takes a long time to build, so we need to get started. Because if we shut off our fossil plants, we then will be faced with the choice of either new nuclear or blackouts."

Despite their ability to provide emission-free energy, nuclear plants take more time and money to build than wind or solar farms. Georgia's Vogtle plant's two new units - the first to be built in the U.S. in the last three decades - are coming online years behind schedule and billions over budget.

On Tuesday, the Sierra Club Illinois Chapter along with the Illinois Environmental Council - two of the state's top environmental advocacy groups - sent a letter to Pritzker asking him to veto the bill. The joint letter outlined several concerns, including waste disposal and costs.

"SB76 would have opened the door to increased risk, negative environmental impacts, and higher costs for consumers while jeopardizing our progress toward Illinois' clean energy future. We applaud Gov. Pritzker for vetoing the bill and ensuring that Illinois follows the road map laid out in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act toward that vision for our future," Sierra Club Illinois Director Jack Darin said in a statement Friday.

Opponents also say more safety regulations should be put in place before the 1987 moratorium is repealed.

"Gov. Pritzker acted today to protect Illinois communities from dangerous regulatory gaps in SB76," Illinois Environmental Council Executive Director Jen Walling said in a statement. "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. Rather than abandon all safeguards, Gov. Pritzker recognized that such substantial risks merit the highest protective guardrails our state can offer."

The bill would have approved both large-scale advanced nuclear reactors and small modular reactors. In a letter to the state legislature Friday, Pritzker said the reactors "could, in the future, safely provide power for large energy consuming businesses in areas where their energy needs cannot currently be met."

"However, this bill provides no regulatory protections for the health and safety of Illinois residents who would live and work around these new reactors," Pritzker added. "My hope is that future legislation in Illinois regarding SMRs would address this regulation gap, and that Illinois will adopt standards that will have been reviewed by experts in the field along with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission or another similar review panel."

Rezin, in a phone interview with Capitol News Illinois, said Pritzker's characterization of the bill allowing construction of traditional reactors is "just not true."

"This is a pattern of a governor that is bending to special interests," Rezin said.

Rezin defended her proposal on the subject of waste as well, pointing out that companies building nuclear reactors must submit plans for waste management when they apply for permits.

"This is a very heavily regulated industry by the federal government," Rezin said.

Currently, 12 states have restrictions on the construction of new nuclear power facilities, down from 16 after a few repealed similar long-standing bans in the past several years, including Wisconsin, Indiana and Kentucky.

• Jenny Whidden is a climate change and environment writer working with the Daily Herald through a partnership with Report For America supported by The Nature Conservancy. To help support her work with a tax-deductible donation, see dailyherald.com/rfa.