Lawmakers in Illinois negotiated to keep nuclear plants in Clinton and the Quad Cities from closing, almost four years ago and are now faced with the same problem. But some area representatives say this time Byron’s plant is a casualty to a recent ComEd Bribery Scandal.
Rumors of the Byron Power Plant closure may have circled before, but Thursday’s announcement left local politicians feeling frustrated and angry.
At the Byron Plant, there are about 727 employees, State Representative Tom Demmer says. “We know how important the Byron Station is in terms of employment, hundreds and hundreds of good-paying jobs.”
Congressman Adam Kinzinger, in a statement, called the announcement of the closure “a gut-punch to the people of Illinois.” Same as State Senator Brian Stewart, who in his own statement, had also pointed out, that it’s not just the workers at the plant who will struggle, but also communities who surround this town.
“It’s really been the cornerstone of that regional economy for decades,” Rep. Demmer says of the Byron Plant. “I’ve had conversations with Exelon officials already as well as folks in the governor’s office about certain steps we can take.”
Congressman Kinzinger believes he has a solution. He called on Senator Dick Durbin, asking to work with him getting the $200 million fine put on ComEd as part of the recent scandal to be re-appropriated. ComEd is a subsidiary of Exelon, the owner of the Byron Nuclear Plant.
Rep. Demmer weighing in as well saying, “People who go to work every day at the Byron Station, who had no role at all in that scandal, don’t deserve to bear the brunt of the punishment for the misdeeds of somebody else.”
The reason for the closing is that Exelon blames market issues that eventually will challenge the plant and make it less competitive. In response, Rep. Demmer said that legislators really need to revisit those policies and strike a balance that makes sense for everyone.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has also reactivated working groups to look at legislation to help keep the Byron and Dresden plants open.