On September 13, 2021, the Illinois State Senate voted 37-17 to approve Senate Bill 2408, called the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act,[1] and Governor JB Pritzker (D) subsequently signed the bill into law on September 15, 2021.[2] The bill aims to prevent the premature closure of nuclear plants and will provide $700 million in subsidies for struggling nuclear power plants. In response to the provisions in S.B. 2408, on September 13, 2021, Exelon Generation said it plans to begin refueling its Byron and Dresden nuclear power plants.[3] The Byron and Dresden plants were previously set to shut down on September 13, 2021, and in November 2021, respectively.

In addition to the nuclear subsidies, the bill provides $340 million in subsidies for renewable energy and $180 million in subsidies for communities where fossil fuel plants will eventually be shutting down. S.B. 2408 also calls for the municipally-owned Prairie State coal plant, the largest carbon-emitting power plant in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation, CWLP Dallman, another municipally-owned coal-fired power plant, to cut carbon emissions 45% by 2038. In addition, the legislation raises Illinois’ renewable standard to 40% by 2030 and 50% by 2040, compared to its current renewable requirement of 25% of electricity by 2025.

[1]https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2408&GAID=16&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=135062&SessionID=110&GA=102#actions

[2] https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/pritzker-signs-transformative-energy-plan-aimed-at-bringing-state-to-100-clean-energy-by-2050/2612986/

[3] https://www.exeloncorp.com/newsroom/passage-of-illinois-energy-legislation-preserves-nuclear-plants-and-strengthens-states-clean-energy-leadership