[The following is a paid advertisement.]

In the past month, two nuclear plants have announced their premature closure - the FitzPatrick plant outside Syracuse, NY and the Pilgrim plant outside Boston, MA - due to economic challenges stemming from a failure to properly value the plants for their reliable, carbon emissions –free energy.

These closures will be devastating to the economies of the communities in which they operate and efforts to reduce carbon emissions resulting in:

• Over 1,200 lost jobs;
• $600 million in lost economic activity; and
• Loss of a leading source of carbon emissions-free energy.

This comes on the heels of similar closures announced in Wisconsin and Vermont in recent years that have produced similar losses to those states.

According to a State of Illinois report, the premature closure of at-risk plants in Illinois would yield even more severe consequences here at home including:

• Nearly 8,000 lost jobs;
• $1.8 billion annually in lost economic activity;
• Up to $500 million in higher energy costs statewide; and
• Up to 38.7 million metric tons in increased carbon emissions at a cost of up to $1.1 billion per year.

Illinois cannot afford to let this happen.

We need policy reforms like the Low Carbon Portfolio Standard that properly recognize and value the significant amount of carbon-free electricity that comes from Illinois’ nuclear fleet to level the playing field for all forms of clean energy and best position our state to meet EPA’s new carbon reduction rules.

Learn more about the benefits of nuclear energy at www.NuclearPowersIllinois.com