SPRINGFIELD — Lawmakers left Springfield on Thursday with a bipartisan agreement on a measure that will lift a 36-year moratorium on new nuclear power plants in the state — and Gov. J.B. Pritzker has vowed to sign it.
Proponents say smaller nuclear reactors will help get the state to its goal of being carbon-free by 2045 by providing an alternative to coal and natural gas. Opponents, however, say new nuclear power plants would take away resources from renewable energy, adding that there are more cost-friendly ways to reach the state’s clean energy goals.
