The Illinois House late Thursday night passed an energy bill with nearly $700 million in incentives for two Exelon Corp nuclear power plants, taking the legislature one step closer to saving the plants the company has threatened to close starting on Monday. The Senate will vote on the measure on Monday and if approved will send the legislation to the Governor for his signature.
House Republicans were concerned about the future of electrical power in the state with the eventual closure of the state’s coal fired plants. State Representative Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) “This bill involves the largest rate hike on Illinois ratepayers passed by the legislature in the past 25 years,” said Swanson. “Not only that, but the legislation extends eminent domain rights to private companies for purposes of building transmission lines to send energy generated inside Illinois to outside of Illinois while destroying family farms in operation more than 150 years.”
Beyond the concerns of landowners and the Illinois Farm Bureau, Swanson went on to criticize the nature of the abolition of Illinois prior “all of the above” energy policy.
“This bill gives insufficient support for the jobs being lost by this war on coal and natural gas. Additionally, several communities in my district, including Princeton and Geneseo purchase energy from Prairie State, which is targeted for closure in this bill,” said Swanson. “My family farm has numerous commercial wind turbines adjacent too and on property we farm. I have installed renewable energy projects on my own farm, so I am no stranger to supporting renewables. But a proper balance has NOT been struck in the Democrat’s energy deal.”
Swanson voted NO on Senate Bill 2408, which passed the Illinois House by a vote of 83-33.
An amendment that emerged yesterday helped seal the passage in the House. Under the measure, coal plants including Prairie State, the state’s largest carbon emitter, are required to cut current emissions 45% by 2035 and to be 100% carbon free, or close, by Dec. 31, 2045. The plants can use any technology, including the burning of hydrogen produced by renewable power, to meet those levels.
