Legislation | EnergyNorthwest.com

Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Boost Advanced Nuclear, Preserve Existing Nuclear

November 23, 2020

The post Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Boost Advanced Nuclear, Preserve Existing Nuclear appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Legislation introduced on Nov. 17 by a bipartisan group of senators on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) will seek to strengthen the nuclear fuel supply chain, help incentivize commercial deployment of new reactor designs, and create a credit program to preserve existing nuclear reactors at risk of premature shutdown.

The American Nuclear Infrastructure Act (ANIA) of 2020, introduced by U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), EPW chairman, and Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), follows the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA), which President Trump signed into law in January 2019.

NEIMA, sponsored by the same senators, requires the Nuclear Regulatory (NRC) to develop a rule to license advanced reactors, as well as greater clarity into the process by which the commission develops its budget and recovers its costs through fees.…

Illinois Passes Landmark Coal Ash Legislation

May 30, 2019

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Illinois on May 27 became the third state in the nation to pass legislation requiring coal ash protections beyond federal requirements.

The state’s House passed the Coal Ash Pollution Prevention Act (SB 9) in a 77-36 vote on Monday, only weeks after Senate passage of the bill in a 39-9 vote on May 9. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) and State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Champaign), now proceeds to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s (D) desk, where it will likely be signed into law.

SB 9, which environmental groups lauded as a “groundbreaking bill,” amends the Illinois Environmental Protection Act by acknowledging that “[Coal combustion residuals (CCR)] generated by the electric generating industry has caused groundwater contamination and other forms of pollution at active and inactive plants throughout this [s]tate.”

Though it outlines some exceptions, the bill essentially prohibits the discharge, directly or indirectly, of any contaminants from a CCR surface impoundment into the environment. Under the bill, generators also cannot construct, install, modify, operator, or shutter any CCR surface impoundments without a permit from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (ILEPA).…

Exelon Gets Its Christmas Wish—Illinois Legislation Will Save Nuclear Plants

December 4, 2016

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After a lengthy process of give and take, the Illinois Legislature approved the Future Energy Jobs Bill (SB 2814) on December 1, the last day of the state’s veto session.

The bill will now go to Gov. Rauner (R) for his signature, which is expected. Once signed, it will take effect on June 1, 2017, a concession that was made to reduce the number of votes required for passage. Even with the change, the bill passed with only three votes to spare in the House and two extra votes in the Senate.

Nuclear Plants Rescued

Exelon predictably praised the bill. The power company claims SB 2814 will maintain competitive electric rates in Illinois, while preserving and creating good-paying jobs and spurring billions of dollars in investment in clean energy and energy efficiency.

But those items weren’t quite what Exelon was fighting for in its effort to push the bill through the General Assembly. It was desperate for the $ 235 million the bill will allow it to collect from customers annually to keep its Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear power plants open.…