Curious what happens when a nuclear plant is shut down prematurely? Two years ago, the State of Wisconsin found out first hand when the Kewaunee Power Station was unexpectedly and permanently closed down. The following is excerpted from a 2014 Bloomberg article about the plant’s closure.

“The best jobs and the biggest employer are disappearing from the town of Carlton, Wisconsin…”

“The Wisconsin facility was the largest employer in Kewaunee County… About 630 people worked at the plant before it closed last year. Now, about 260 work on mothballing it. By October, only 140 will.”

‘They were the highest-paying jobs in the county, and a big chunk of that was flowing through the economy,’ said Ron Heuer, chairman of the county board of commissioners.”

“The consequences can be sudden and drastic, affecting school funding, real-estate values and economic development that were linked to the facilities.”

“Carlton will lose about $360,000 in annual revenue, roughly 70 percent of its $515,000 budget…”

“There’s a glut of homes for sale, with a 25 percent to 30 percent increase in houses on the market…”

Members of the General Assembly: Don’t let this happen in Illinois. The fact is, three of Illinois’ six nuclear plants are at risk of closing, and the consequences of these closures are catastrophic:

• $1.8 billion every year in lost economic activity
• Nearly 8,000 highly skilled jobs
• Up to $500 million annually in higher energy costs statewide, according to a PJM analysis
• $1.1 billion per year due to increases in carbon and other pollutants
• Hundreds of millions of dollars to construct new transmission lines

Only one legislative solution - the Illinois Low Carbon Portfolio Standard (LCPS) - would help prevent these closures. The LCPS is good for Illinois consumers, good for our economy and good for our environment.

Learn more at www.NuclearPowersIllinois.com