Will County Gazette

Illinois state Rep. Jed Davis, R-75th, criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker's veto of a bill permitting the construction of small nuclear reactors, highlighting its potential to offer affordable, reliable and safe energy for the state. Davis, voicing bipartisan support for the bill, expressed concern over the governor prioritizing his environmental policies over the welfare of taxpayers, urging his colleagues to override the veto when the legislature reconvenes in October. 

“Our governor recently vetoed a bill allowing the construction of small nuclear reactors,” Davis said in an Aug. 14 Facebook post. “This bill provides our state with affordable, reliable and safe energy. It's 100% bipartisan, supported by lots of democrats in both the house and senate. Regardless, our governor is placing his radical environmental policies ahead of you, the taxpayer.

“Our current policies will make electricity less reliable and more expensive, it's already happening," Davis added, according to Facebook. "I'm calling on my colleagues to override this veto when returning to Springfield this October. The votes are absolutely there. It's time government works for the people instead of special interests. What a shame our executive branch has forgotten this critical principle."

Pritzker vetoed legislation aimed at lifting the state's moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants, according to Energy News. The legislation, which would have allowed the development of advanced nuclear reactors such as Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs), passed with bipartisan support in May, but faced opposition from anti-nuclear activists and clean energy groups who argued other renewable sources could meet the state's energy needs more effectively.

The bill passed in the Senate on a count of 36-14 and in the House 84-22.

Energy bills for Ameren customers in southern Illinois doubled in early 2022 and blackout increased after Pritzker signed legislation creating shortfalls in energy production, according to a blog post for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“Some grid operators blamed coal plant retirements, pointed to state policy changes like Illinois’ nation-leading Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and promoted fossil fuels as a reliability solution,” Meghan Hassett, Midwest campaign manager for the Center for Policy Advocacy, said in the NRDC blog post.

Notably, the first nuclear power reactor was constructed in a squash court under the University of Chicago football stadium. Named "Chicago Pile-1," this initial human-created nuclear reactor initiated a series of events that reshaped global politics, led to nuclear energy production, opened new realms of scientific inquiry and influenced key aspects of modern society, from weaponry to medicine, according to the University of Chicago.