* Press release…

Today, Governor JB Pritzker vetoed the following legislation:

Senate Bill 76 – Veto
Senate Bill 76 removes the moratorium on new construction of nuclear power plants to allow for the construction of both advanced and traditional large-scale nuclear reactors in Illinois.

The bill is vetoed because the vague definitions in the bill, including the overly broad definition of advanced reactors, will open the door to the proliferation of large-scale nuclear reactors that are so costly to build that they will cause exorbitant ratepayer-funded bailouts. Additionally, it provides no regulatory protections or updates to address the health and safety of Illinois residents who would live and work around these new reactors.

House Bill 2507 – Amendatory Veto
House Bill 2507 addresses many issues surrounding property taxes, including important property tax relief for surviving spouses of first responders and other more technical changes that the Pritzker Administration supports.

The Governor has issued an Amendatory Veto due to a change that was added to give private nursing home owners in Cook County a property tax break. That break passes the tax burden to Suburban Cook County homeowners and small businesses, with the most impact felt in the South Suburbs. That change to property taxes on homeowners risks driving up costs for residents and threatens local school funding.

House Bill 2878 – Amendatory Veto
House Bill 2878 addresses procurement issues important to the Pritzker Administration. But, because the bill allows for the creation of public private partnerships (P3s) with counties, municipalities, and any other unit of local government without proper oversight in place, the Governor has issued an Amendatory Veto.

The Governor has removed this provision through an Amendatory Veto that creates a local pathway for private industry to enter P3 agreements that skirts transparency and anti-corruption requirements established in state statute, including ethics, BEP, campaign finance, and procurement laws. It also puts the state at greater risk of project failure by decreasing competition and reducing the opportunity for public input currently required under state law during the P3 project planning and implementation process.

House Bill 3643 – Veto
House Bill 3643 amends the School Code to require the Illinois State Board of Education to enter into a statewide education master contract to provide religious dietary options to all Illinois school districts.

The bill is vetoed because it requires the Illinois State Board of Education to enter into a master contract they cannot execute because this is a local school district responsibility. Local school districts, not the Illinois State Board of Education, have the expertise and understanding of local needs required to enter into food service contracts based on federal USDA nutrition guidelines. The bill would restrict the capability that local school districts have to contract meal vendors based on their students’ unique local and cultural needs.

…Adding… Links to full veto messages…

* SB76: Today, at the request of the leadership team of the Speaker of the House and advocates, I will veto Senate Bill 76 from the 103rd General Assembly. … There appears to be real potential for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which could, in the future, safely provide power for large energy consuming businesses in areas where their energy needs cannot currently be met. However, this bill provides no regulatory protections for the health and safety of Illinois residents who would live and work around these new reactors. My hope is that future legislation in Illinois regarding SMRs would address this regulation gap, and that Illinois will adopt standards that will have been reviewed by experts in the field along with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission or another similar review panel.

* HB2507: Dr. James Discipio, President of the Village of LaGrange Park, wrote to me and said “I cannot support a law that provides tax breaks for for-profit nursing homes on the backs of already burdened property tax payers.” It is difficult for me to imagine that the General Assembly, had they been aware of this aspect of the bill, would feel any differently. I could not agree more with Dr. Discipio on this matter, and I hope that members of the General Assembly will agree by accepting my amendatory veto.

* HB2878: The bill is the product of months of hard work by staff, contains positive developments to address procurement issues, and includes many items important to stakeholders, including my Administration. Unfortunately, the bill also extends the authority for public private partnerships (P3s) in Illinois from the Department of Transportation and Tollway to also include counties, municipalities, and any other unit of local government, while not providing proper oversight.

* HB3643: Local school districts, not the Illinois State Board of Education, have the expertise and understanding of local needs required to enter into food service contracts. Districts are already responsible for all their food service contracts and will continue to have the capability to enter into contracts with meal vendors based on the unique cultural needs of the students in their communities. Local school districts currently already engage in this practice and do so based on federal USDA nutrition guidelines.

* Jen Walling with the Illinois Environmental Council sent me this earlier today…

Hi Rich,

Attached is a letter asking for a veto on SB76 and I wanted to let you know that Jack Darin from Sierra Club and I have had productive conversations with the Governor’s office and Leader Gabel on behalf of Speaker Welch with respect to our concerns on this issue this week.

* The letter from Walling and Darin…

Dear Governor Pritzker,

The Illinois Environmental Council (IEC), Sierra Club Illinois, and our allies respectfully request that you veto SB76—a bill that would lift Illinois’ decades-old moratorium on new nuclear facilities.

Illinois already has the most nuclear reactors in the country, and we should not add to the growing stockpiles of waste in Illinois communities. The original concerns about constructing new nuclear power plants that led the General Assembly to impose the current moratorium remain today, and in fact, those concerns are arguably greater now than they were in 1987. We are no closer to a national solution for the disposal of dangerous high-level nuclear wastes. As a result, Illinois bears the burden of storing this waste in our communities, including along the shores of Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. These wastes have significant safety risks and threaten our drinking water and communities.

In addition, nuclear power is extremely expensive. Efforts in other states to build new nuclear plants are plagued with high cost overruns and extensive delays. These exorbitant costs not only dwarf those associated with readily available clean energy technologies, but they also threaten to derail the progress Illinois is now making to deploy win-win solutions like renewable energy, storage, and energy efficiency programs. Illinois should continue prioritizing these investments, which support good union jobs and pathways to prosperity for our marginalized communities, rather than encourage highly speculative proposals for new nuclear energy that jeopardize our clean energy future.

SB76 will not solve any grid capacity issues in Illinois. Illinois does not need the massive, decades-long rate hikes it would take to attempt to site and build new nuclear power plants that wouldn’t be available for over a decade. Illinois does need action and investment now in transmission, storage, energy efficiency, and demand response solutions to ensure adequate capacity and protect consumers from spikes in fossil fuel prices. While Illinois hosts roughly 11 gigawatts of nuclear power, over 700 gigawatts of additional power are awaiting interconnection approval from regional energy markets across the country to backfill the retirement of uneconomic power plants. The majority of these resources waiting in line are solar, wind, and battery storage—proven technologies that are already creating good jobs and delivering consumer savings. These smart solutions should remain our focus.

The rules, regulations, and oversight for all nuclear plants are not up to date. SB76 removes the moratorium on nuclear power without a full study and review of whether current rules and regulations are sufficient to site, build, and operate a nuclear power plant safely. The nuclear moratorium law has been in place since 1987, when the Illinois Commerce Commission supervised and regulated power plants. For the past 25 years, there has been no entity in Illinois that oversees, regulates, or determines generally what plants are built, when, or where. Moreover, the language about granting certificates of public need and necessity no longer applies. SB76 does nothing to update programs or provide additional capacity to IEPA or IEMA, which would be needed to appropriately regulate nuclear facilities.

The siting laws for nuclear are completely insufficient. There are little to no local nuclear permitting and zoning rules on the books. Any plant could be built anywhere at any time, with only approval at the federal level. The issue is even worse in the case of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, which are proposed to be small units in shipping containers deployed within communities. Projects could, in theory, be deployed near residences, for example.

Finally, we have not solved the issue of waste. Every lawmaker representing the closed Zion nuclear plant voted no on SB76 because of the devastating long-term impact the closed Zion plant is having on the community. The waste will remain at any of these sites for all time, preventing future development or natural resource protection at any site.

Our community is proud of the work we did together with the General Assembly and stakeholders to enact the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2021. CEJA gives Illinois a roadmap to a clean energy future that generates high-quality jobs equitably and attracts global investments in our communities. To sustain that progress, we must stay the course in implementing that vision and reject proposals that would distract our resources from this framework.

In conclusion, SB76 was moved forward without careful consideration, and signing it would open the door to increased risk, negative environmental impacts, and higher costs for consumers while jeopardizing our progress toward Illinois’ clean energy future. Thank you for your consideration of this veto request.

…Adding… Sen. Rezin on the nuke bill…

State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) issued the following statement in reaction to Governor Pritzker’s decision to veto Senate Bill 76, which would have ended state’s moratorium on building advanced, small modular nuclear reactors:

“The governor is clearly putting his own partisan political ambitions over what is in the best interest of the people of Illinois by his sole decision to veto bi-partisan legislation to improve Illinois’ future energy portfolio sustainably and cost-effectively.

Creating a sustainable energy future for our children and our children’s children is not a zero-sum game. We must take advantage of the massive advancements in nuclear technology if we truly want to reach a carbon-free future. Advanced nuclear reactors would help supplement the flaws that wind and solar unfortunately have by providing reliable power 24/7, because wind and solar alone don’t have the infrastructure or technology to provide our state with the reliable, affordable and efficient energy it needs.

Senate Bill 76 passed out of the General Assembly with veto-proof rollcalls because the members of the General Assembly who live and work in our communities know that it is our constituents, and not special interests and political ambitions we are here to serve. That’s why I have immediately filed paperwork to override this veto during our upcoming Veto Session this fall.”

…Adding… Operating Engineers Local 150 on the AV of HB2878…

This amendatory veto won’t impact the I-55 managed lanes project. The Governor’s office wants to ensure that appropriate guardrails are in place, which is well within his purview, and we look forward to working with his office later this year on legislation that will achieve that.

…Adding… Not sure where to put this, but here you go…

In light of today’s news on the assault weapons ban from the Illinois Supreme Court and Governor Pritzker’s veto of Senate Bill 76, below is a statement from House Republican Leader Tony McCombie:

“The extremism of Illinois Democrats knows no bounds. More fraud, more federal investigations, higher energy costs, and more rights infringed.

“Last week State Auditors revealed $5.2 billion of fraud within the unemployment system - some of which was collected by Governor Pritzker’s Executive Branch employees.

“The same week, another federal corruption trial began and Democrats are silent about the need for meaningful ethics reforms.

“Governor Pritzker vetoed a pathway to inexpensive, clean energy, all because Illinois Democrats are dead-set on virtue signaling instead of problem-solving.

“And today, Constitutional rights were besieged by the Democratic Supreme Court that Governor Pritzker spent millions to elect.

“When will enough be enough?”

…Adding… Sen. Villivalam on the kosher and halal bill…

State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) issued the following statement after Governor JB Pritzker vetoed House Bill 3643, which would have required all public schools, the University of Illinois Hospital and state correctional facilities to offer a kosher and halal food option upon request:

“I am disappointed in the governor’s veto of providing Halal and Kosher food options to our youth in schools.

“The innovative concept of the Illinois State Board of Education securing a master contract to accomplish the above goal was one that was brought forward by school districts in their attempt to meet the diverse dietary needs of our students.

“As I have from the beginning, I look forward to continuing robust discussions to accomplish this goal.”

…Adding… ICJC…

Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC) on Governor Pritzker’s Amendatory Veto of HB 2878.

“We applaud Governor JB Pritzker for his amendatory veto of HB 2878, calling for greater public input into project planning and implementation. The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gases and past transportation projects have not adequately considered impacts on communities, and especially environmental justice communities already overwhelmed by pollution from big trucks and other vehicles. That input should, at a minimum, include a greenhouse gas analysis of the project and whether there are alternatives that provide more efficient and affordable transportation options.”

…Adding… Leader Gabel…

Majority Leader Robyn Gabel released the following statement Friday:

“I’m pleased to see the governor’s veto of nuclear expansion. Based on concerns raised by the Illinois Environmental Council and Sierra Club, I asked the governor to veto Senate Bill 76. While discussion of the bill was focused on small-scale generators, the language was much broader and would have completely removed the moratorium on any size of nuclear project.

“As IEC noted, our rules, regulations and oversight of nuclear plants is not properly updated to safely accommodate such a dramatic change. There are little to no local nuclear permitting and zoning rules on the books. Unresolved issues regarding waste are also concerning.

“For these reasons, I requested the governor veto this bill, and allow stakeholders to discuss these concerns.”

…Adding… Rep. Larry Walsh…

“I am disappointed in Governor Pritzker’s decision to veto Senate Bill 76. As we maneuver ourselves towards cleaner energy production, nuclear technology must be an option. Senate Bill 76 was an opportunity to allow new, safe, and efficient reactors to be a tool in our energy toolbox. For over two years, hearings on this issue have been held in a bipartisan manner and Senate Bill 76 was the culmination of those efforts. Unfortunately, there are business interests and special interest groups within the renewable energy community that have hijacked this issue and the process for their own personal gain, financial and political.

Despite this setback, we will continue to work to expand clean energy generation in Illinois so that our grid is able to meet the shortfalls that RTOs have forecasted in the coming years. Unfortunately with this veto, that work has become harder.”

…Adding… The Illinois Environmental Council and Sierra Club Illinois …

“Governor Pritzker acted today to protect Illinois communities from dangerous regulatory gaps in SB76,” said Illinois Environmental Council Executive Director Jen Walling. “Nuclear power comes with significant safety risks and results in highly hazardous wastes that threaten our drinking water, with no safe, permanent waste solution in sight. Rather than abandon all safeguards, Governor Pritzker recognized that such substantial risks merit the highest protective guardrails our state can offer.”

“SB76 would have opened the door to increased risk, negative environmental impacts, and higher costs for consumers while jeopardizing our progress toward Illinois’ clean energy future. We applaud Governor Pritzker for vetoing the bill and ensuring that Illinois follows the roadmap laid out in the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act toward that vision for our future,” said Sierra Club Illinois Director Jack Darin.

* Isabel did a recent coverage roundup…

* Illinois Times | House bill would lift nuclear power construction moratorium: Nuclear power plant construction has been prohibited in Illinois since 1987 over concerns about safe disposal of nuclear waste. The current law requires that there be a demonstrable technology, or means for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste, before any construction permit for a nuclear power plant may be issued. So far, no such technology or means of disposal has been developed. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, some nuclear waste is highly radioactive and will remain so for thousands of years.

* Capitol News Illinois | Pritzker: ‘Devil’s in the details’ when considering lifting ban on new nuclear: “These are smaller, less prone to an accident, more likely for us to be able to maintain them for a long period of time, that’s something that’s worthy of consideration,” Pritzker said. “Now the devil’s in the details and we want to make sure that we’re not just opening this up to nuclear everywhere or any type of nuclear.”

* Tribune | Illinois may lift historic ban on building nuclear power plants as state continues transition from coal and gas: The following week, [Pritzker] told an audience at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics that Illinois was “looking now at removing the ban on nuclear — not to build any major new plants, but there’s small nuclear reactors that are being developed now that are much safer, that could be used in places in Illinois where there’s a lack of energy production.”

* Center Square | Deadline for Pritzker to act on bill lifting nuclear power moratorium looming: “There are aspects of it that I think are worthy,” Pritzker said Thursday. “My concern is to make sure that we have all available options for growing our energy production in the state.”