Will County Gazette

Sen. Sue Rezin has long been a supporter of nuclear energy. In an Aug. 11 Facebook post, she reacted to Gov. JB Pritzker's veto of Senate Bill 76.

"The governor's decision to veto Senate Bill 76 is a short-sighted mistake that will hurt our state's future energy portfolio," Rezin said in her post. "I have immediately filed paperwork to override this veto during our upcoming Veto Session this fall." 

In her Facebook post, Rezin shared an image of a news release. In that news release, she said: “The governor is clearly putting his own partisan political ambitions over what is in the best interest of the people of Illinois by his sole decision to veto bi-partisan legislation to improve Illinois’ future energy portfolio sustainably and cost-effectively. Creating a sustainable energy future for our children and our children’s children is not a zero-sum game. We must take advantage of the massive advancements in nuclear technology if we truly want to reach a carbon-free future. Advanced nuclear reactors would help supplement the flaws that wind and solar unfortunately have by providing reliable power 24/7 because wind and solar alone don’t have the infrastructure or technology to provide our state with the reliable, affordable and efficient energy it needs.”

Rezin filed Senate Bill 76 on Jan. 23 to end the state’s moratorium on new nuclear reactor facilities and to ensure that future reactors are advanced nuclear reactors. It moved to the House on March 31, and passed both houses on May 19. It went to Pritzker’s desk on June 16 and was vetoed on Aug. 11.

On March 30, the bill passed the Senate with a 39-13 vote, according to a news release from Rezin’s office.

“Illinois is just one of 12 states in the entire nation to still have a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power facilities. In the past few years, other states, including our neighbor Indiana, have recognized just how arbitrary and archaic these types of bans are and moved to remove them. My legislation is a bipartisan, pro-jobs bill that will help ensure that Illinois is able to effectively compete with other states who are beginning to understand the pivotal role nuclear energy can play in relieving growing energy grid reliability and resiliency pressures. Building new 24-hour energy-producing nuclear power stations, whether traditional or SMRs, will help improve our state’s energy grid and potentially infuse millions of dollars into local economics by providing good paying jobs,” Rezin said.