[The following is a paid advertisement.]

Christopher Millard, Mayor, Byron, Illinois:

As Mayor of Byron, I know firsthand of the significant impact Byron Generating Station has on my community and our families. It injects millions annually into the local economy and provides 75 percent of the funding for our local schools.

But most importantly, it employs 860 employees, including more than 180 of our friends and our neighbors in Byron alone - the same men and women who shop at our local businesses, coach our children’s sports teams and volunteer around our community. Without them, Byron wouldn’t be the same.

Today outdated energy polices could force Byron Generating Station to close prematurely. The closure of plants in Wisconsin and Vermont has taken a real toll on families and communities that depended upon the jobs that those plants provided. Such a loss would be devastating to Byron, and is why I support the Illinois Low Carbon Portfolio Standard.

The Low Carbon Portfolio Standard would bring our state’s energy policies into the 21st century and help prevent plants like Byron Generating Station from closing.

I urge members of the General Assembly to act now and vote YES on the Low Carbon Portfolio Standard - House Bill 3293 & Senate Bill 1585.

To learn more go to www.nuclearpowersillinois.com