Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday that he had vetoed a bill that would have ended a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants.
the resumption of construction of new reactors, and had passed the General Assembly earlier this year.
That moratorium, in place since the 1980’s, was enacted over concerns about the disposal of nuclear waste, and Pritzker cited those same concerns in a veto statement, while also expressing concerns about costs borne by ratepayers and about overly-broad language within the legislation. “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 said in a statement.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weeklyThe governor also criticized the bill for failing to take into account potential health implications for employees and residents who would live near the newly-constructed plants. Pritzker said he supports so-called “Small Modular Reactors,” but that he would want such construction and planning to take place in coordination with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission., Republican State Sen. Sue Rezin, the primary sponsor of the legislation, has announced she will file paperwork to attempt to override Pritzker’s veto.
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