Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) | Illinois Senate Republican Caucus
Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) | Illinois Senate Republican Caucus
State Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield) has joined Illinois leaders to propose exemptions to new clean energy legislation that proposes closing coal-burning generating plants by 2035.
Illinois legislators are currently pushing for The Clean Energy Jobs Act that would close all carbon-emitting power plants by 2035 and transition the state to 100% renewable energy, KHQA reported.
A coalition of unions, utility officials and Democratic and Republican Illinois lawmakers are urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker and legislative leaders to exempt nonprofit coal-fired plants, such as City Water, Light and Power (CWLP) in Springfield and the Prairie State Energy Campus in Marissa, from the mandate, according to The State-Journal Register.
"This morning, I joined a bipartisan coalition of labor, lawmakers and municipal officials who are asking that City Water, Light and Power (CWLP) in Springfield and the Prairie State Energy Campus in Marissa be exempted from premature closures proposed in new energy legislation," McClure wrote in a June 4 Facebook post. "We can have a cleaner energy future, but it has to be done in a responsible way."
CWLP officials say that the clean energy bill is an attempt to save jobs at unprofitable northern Illinois nuclear plants and will harm the economy, The State-Journal Register reported.
The Senate reconvened on June 15 and the House reconvened on June 16.
Alerts Sign-up