Their View: Keep nuclear plants operating in Illinois - Alton Telegraph

Their View: Keep nuclear plants operating in Illinois - Alton Telegraph: Two Illinois nuclear power plants, Byron and Dresden, are due for premature closure this year. The two plants are licensed to operate for another 10 to 20 years, but have been slated for closure in September and November. Illinois lawmakers must act, and act now, to prevent this. Last year, Gov. Pritzker advocated for the passage of a comprehensive energy bill to put Illinois on a course for a carbon-free power industry, and importantly, 90% of Illinois' clean energy is currently produced by nuclear power. Byron alone generates enough power for more than 2.3 million homes. The two plants contribute about $3.5 billion to the state's GDP each year, and produce an estimated $149 million in tax revenues. Every year, consumers save nearly $313 million on their electricity bills due to the operation of the Byron and Dresden plants. The state will have to raise taxes, cut public services and or build new natural gas plants to make up for the loss in revenue. Locally, the Byron school district's budget relies on the millions of dollars a year in property revenue generated by the plant, which accounts for around 70% of its budget. Similarly, 17% of the county's economy derives from th