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Green Party legislative candidates from across the state have joined to criticize the under-the-radar attempt in the General Assembly to lift the 20 year-old moratorium on the construction of new nuclear facilities in Illinois. The proposed legislation, House Bill 2971, is a “shell bill” with a pending amendment that would remove language in Illinois law which says that new nuclear plants can not be built until a solution for storing tons of radioactive waste is found.
“We need less nuclear power in Illinois, not more,” said Jeremy Karpen, Green candidate for 39th State Representative (Logan Square area in Chicago). “Nuclear generation is more expensive per kilowatt-hour than wind. It’s bad for the environment, bad for consumers, and bad for taxpayers. Just last year the General Assembly passed renewal portfolio standards for energy production. Why undermine that now?”
“Haven’t we learned yet from the Braidwood plant which leaked and contaminated the groundwater?” asks Charlie Howe, Green candidate for 115th State Representative (Carbondale area). “Let’s face it, folks. There is no safe place on earth to discard the byproducts of nuclear energy. The moratorium acknowledges this. Why would anyone try to end it?”
“Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free by 2050: that should be what we’re striving for,” said Ante “Tony” Marijan, Green candidate for 2nd State Representative (Pilsen – Little Village area of Chicago). “We need to support public transportation and help people lower their overall energy consumption, not roll the clock back 30 years.” Marijan’s opponent, Eddie Acevedo, is a co-sponsor of the legislation.
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