Sangamon Sun

Plumbers, Steamfitters & HVLACR Local 137 business manager Aaron Gurnsey is warning lawmakers about legislation being proposed that would shutter downstate energy plants.

“You know we're here to discuss an important topic based on a wide variety of voices,” Gurnsey said. “We have here today organized labor, Republicans, Democrats for both the Senate and the House, and our municipal officials. This coalition is here today to ask that not-for-profit plants operated by City Water Light and Power in Springfield and the Prairie State energy campus in Marissa be exempted from premature closures proposed in energy legislation being debated by the General Assembly.”

Gurnsey reasons such actions would pave the way for a more responsible transition to a cleaner energy future that allows communities ample time to institute new power sources, train and develop workers, keep utility costs stable and protect grid stability.

Even as the legislature recently approved Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s $42 billion state budget, lawmakers left Springfield without an agreement on an energy policy that would include a multimillion-dollar bailout for nuclear power plants in the state.

Reaching a deal to keep the plants afloat along with the livelihoods of thousands of union employees was thought to be among the most pressing issues for lawmakers. The task was made trickier by lawmakers' determination not to give the impression they were conceding anything to a utility given the ongoing corruption scandal involving Commonwealth Edison.

“Combined, these two plants employ more than 1,100 workers and support an additional 1,000 skilled union tradesmen and women in good high paying jobs,” Gurnsey said. ”If legislation is enacted to close these plants before the end of their useful lives, there will be devastating consequences. Energy policy is complex. All we're asking for is more time to make the transition to new energy sources in a responsible manner that protects workers and taxpayers.”