* WPBG…

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was asked during his visit to the McCluggage Bridge Tuesday about the deal Illinois lawmakers recently approved that keeps two Illinois nuclear power plants open, while reducing emissions at coal-fired power plants.

Pritzker says negotiations involving his office led to the deal that lawmakers approved.

“The negotiation that we had over what support we would provide to the power plants that were losing money started with a thorough, independent audit,” said Pritzker.

Pritzker says an audit wasn’t done five years ago when other energy legislation was passed. He said he only wanted to give Exelon, for example, what was fair.

Pritzker said the state, and [ratepayers], got a deal.

“We ended up paying one-sixth on a megawatt hour basis what was paid the last time this was negotiated,” said Pritzker. “Last time, six times was paid what we paid this time in order to keep these plants alive, and keep those jobs going.”

* One of the most important parts of my job is to read as much about Illinois government/politics as humanly possible. After seeing that story above, I thought I’d put together a quick coverage roundup since the bill signing. Easier said than done because quite a lot has been written. Click here for a story with easy-to-read dot points about what’s in the bill. David Roberts at Volts has a much more in-depth piece on how the bill was passed and what’s in it…

In 2016, Illinois passed a decent enough energy bill. It shored up the state’s (relatively modest) renewable energy standard and kept its existing nuclear power plants open. It was a compromise among varied interests, signed into law by a Democratic legislature and a Republican governor. At the time, I figured it was the best any state in the coal-heavy Midwest was likely to do.

Well, that will teach me to go around figuring. Just five years later, Illinois has raised the bar, passing one of the most environmentally ambitious, worker-friendly, justice-focused energy bills of any state in the country: The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.

Illinois is now the first state in the Midwest to commit to net-zero carbon emissions, joining over a dozen other states across the country. It is also a model for how diverse stakeholders can reach consensus. […]

The state’s labor community was sensitive to the fact that it had largely been left out of the 2016 bill; the legislation contained no labor standards, and recent years have seen Illinois renewable energy projects importing cheaper out-of-state workforces. Labor didn’t want to get left behind in the state’s energy transition, so it organized a coalition of groups under the banner Climate Jobs Illinois and set about playing an active role in negotiations.

Renewable energy developers — cognizant of the fact that Illinois is falling short of its renewable energy goals (it’s at 9 percent; it’s supposed to be at 21) and state funding has dried up for new renewable energy projects — organized as Path to 100.

Environmental and climate-justice groups organized as the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition.

All the groups introduced energy bills of their own. And then they spent years banging their heads together.

But there was another key difference: this time around, utilities were not at the table.

If you have some time today, go read the whole thing. I learned some stuff about what the new law will mean to consumers and workers.

* More…

* As Illinois phases out fossil fuels, law offers support to transition workers: The law has been heralded by supporters as the country’s most expansive example of equity enshrined in clean energy legislation, prioritizing communities of color and environmental justice communities, as well as communities affected by the energy transition. The law creates community-based “energy navigators” to help people find careers in clean energy and overcome barriers such as child care and transportation, and it offers a pre-apprenticeship program meant to funnel people from marginalized communities into union jobs.

* CWLP looks to solar: The current agreement provides that CWLP must be carbon-free by 2045, with emissions reductions of 45% by 2035. If CWLP’s plants can’t come into compliance within three years of 2035, they would need to shut down some operations under the new law. But Brown said, in practice, CWLP has already done so with the retirement of three of its coal-fired generators, Dallman Units 31, 32 and 33.

* Solar industry says future’s bright after energy legislation signed by governor: That means the net cost to the owner of a 2,100-square-foot home in Springfield for a $25,875 solar system can be $9,084, and the system will pay for itself in eight to nine years through lower CWLP bills, Knox said.

* The Future of Illinois Energy Policy: Renewable Energy Set to Expand: In addition to electric vehicle rule development and program administration requirements, a new Electric Vehicle Coordinator appointed by the Governor will also act as the point person for electric vehicle and electric vehicle charging-related policies. The electric vehicle component of the legislation targets putting 1 million electric vehicles on Illinois roads by 2030.

* Illinois now boasts the ‘most equitable’ climate law in America. What will that mean?: “Illinois has a more fossil-fuel driven and dirty electric grid than many of the other states that have committed to 100 percent clean energy,” Garren says. “In passing a bill like this, we’re setting the stage to prove that a 100% clean future is possible in every state.”

* Illinois Just Won a Big Green Jobs Victory: SB 2408 is also targeted to benefit working-class and poor communities and neighborhoods, investing $115 million for small business development and $78 million for electric transportation (for charging infrastructure, for example) in poor neighborhoods. It also increases community solar production — shared solar facilities that make this form of energy more affordable — fivefold.

* MacArthur Foundation dumping fossil fuel investments: Foundation President John Palfrey announced MacArthur’s plan in a blog post on its website, explaining the Chicago-based nonprofit will ramp up investments in companies and funds that are addressing climate change and continue to wind down investments in private funds that invest in oil and gas exploration, a mission it started in 2019.