Reprinted from NEIS Press Release
On August 11, Illinois’ Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker vetoed a bill to repeal the state’s 1987 nuclear construction moratorium. The law was introduced partly as a promotion of so-called “next-generation” nuclear reactors. “Had it passed, this bill would not only have removed all prohibitions for generating even more high-level radioactive wastes with no disposal method in place (Illinois currently ‘hosts’ roughly 11,000 tons of orphaned waste reactor fuel), it would have opened the door to more nuclear reactors, which could have had devastating effects on the renewable energy goals championed in the 2021 Climate and Equity Jobs Act,” said David Kraft, Director of the Chicago-based Nuclear Energy Information Service.
According to sources from the governor’s office, “The bill is vetoed because the vague definitions in the bill 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. 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.”
— NEIS press release, & CapitolFax.com, Aug. 11, 2023
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