SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois AFL-CIO yesterday released the following statement after the Illinois Legislature approved House Bill 2473, which ends Illinois’ moratorium on nuclear power generation facility construction:
“Today’s vote by the Illinois Legislature to create a path for smart construction of nuclear generation facilities is important for our state’s economy and our clean energy future.
The end of the 36-year moratorium on construction of nuclear facilities will be targeted for small modular reactors (SMRs), an integral part of the broader plan organized labor has worked on tirelessly with legislators and other advocacy groups to transition from fossil fuels to renewable and clean energy generation.
SMRs will help bridge the gap for manufacturers and other commercial, business and individual energy users as we make this transition, and meet our carbon-free requirements without risking the reliability of our energy grid. These facilities will continue to provide good-paying union jobs that support many Illinois families, and keep the lights on in even the most challenging weather conditions across the state.
We thank the Legislature for working to provide this path forward for targeted nuclear construction in Illinois and encourage Gov. Pritzker to quickly sign it into law.”
Tim Drea
President
Pat Devaney
Secretary-Treasurer
Illinois AFL-CIO
Springfield
About IL AFL-CIO
The Illinois AFL-CIO is comprised of over 1500 affiliated unions representing nearly 900,000 workers in Illinois. Union members and their families can be found in nearly every community from Antioch on the Wisconsin border to Cairo at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi River and from Danville on the Indiana border to Quincy on the Missouri border. For more information, see www.ilafl-cio.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for real time updates.