{"id":43001,"date":"2026-07-24T11:01:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=43001"},"modified":"2026-07-24T11:03:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:03:38","slug":"these-nine-illinois-communities-say-theyre-interested-in-new-nuclear-facilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/43001-these-nine-illinois-communities-say-theyre-interested-in-new-nuclear-facilities\/","title":{"rendered":"These Nine Illinois Communities Say They&#8217;re Interested In New Nuclear Facilities"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>The Byron Generating Station, owned by Constellation Energy, is pictured in Ogle County (CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS PHOTO BY ANDREW CAMPBELL)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> state lifted its moratorium on new nuclear facilities, but development could still be decades away<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By MAGGIE DOUGHERTY <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capitol News Illinois <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><a href=\"mailto:mdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Article Summary<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After Illinois lifted its moratorium on construction of new nuclear power plants, Gov. JB Pritzker instructed state agencies to find out what communities would be interested in hosting new nuclear sites.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nine came forward, including the six that already host nuclear power, and two that are transitioning from coal production. The final response came from a university\u2019s nuclear research program.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But as the state looks to reopen nuclear development, environmental and consumer advocates question whether it could come online quickly and cheaply enough to stave off Illinois\u2019 looming energy shortage and compete with renewables.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CHICAGO \u2014 Illinois has opened the door to a new era of nuclear energy generation, but a question remains: Where would new nuclear power plants go?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s an issue that Gov. JB Pritzker directed state agencies to explore this spring, when <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/what-does-gov-jb-pritzkers-nuclear-energy-executive-order-do\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he signed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> his first <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.illinois.gov\/government\/executive-orders\/executive-order.executive-order-2026-01.2026.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">executive order<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the year and as the state seeks to stave off <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/as-state-regulators-warn-of-impending-energy-shortfalls-capacity-prices-rise-again\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">projected energy shortfalls<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that could spur higher energy prices and jeopardize reliability in coming years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The goal of the order was to bring at least two gigawatts more energy online, enough to power up to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/amblesun.solar\/blog\/how-many-homes-can-1-megawatt-power\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 million homes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iaeimagazine.org\/electrical-fundamentals\/how-much-electricity-does-a-data-center-use-complete-2025-analysis\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20 large data centers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illinois took its first official step back into nuclear energy when <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/pritzker-signs-major-energy-reform-bill-amid-projected-shortages\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pritzker signed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act this January, lifting a nearly four-decade ban on building new large-scale nuclear power plants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Read more: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/pritzker-signs-major-energy-reform-bill-amid-projected-shortages\/\"><b>Pritzker signs major energy reform bill amid projected shortages<\/b><\/a><b> | <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/what-does-gov-jb-pritzkers-nuclear-energy-executive-order-do\/\"><b>What does Gov. JB Pritzker\u2019s nuclear energy executive order do?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That moratorium was signed in 1987 by then-Gov. James Thompson as the U.S. looked for solutions to safely store radioactive nuclear waste. The same year, the passage of the federal <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/articles\/nuclear-waste-policy-act\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nuclear Waste Policy Act<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> had tasked the U.S. Department of Energy with evaluating a potential site to bury all the nation\u2019s nuclear waste deep underground.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nevada\u2019s Yucca Mountain was designated as the most promising location, but the plan was not well-received by residents of the Silver State, which did not have any commercial nuclear reactors of its own. Fulfilling a campaign promise, then-President Barack Obama <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2009\/03\/11\/101689489\/obama-cuts-funds-to-nuclear-waste-repository\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cut funding<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the project in 2009 and the following year his administration <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/nation\/nationnow\/la-na-nn-yucca-mountain-nuclear-waste-20130813-story.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">halted its license review<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, effectively killing the project.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Illinois\u2019 ban on new nuclear plants was meant to last until the federal government implemented a solution for nuclear waste storage. Spent nuclear fuel is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iemaohs.illinois.gov\/nrs\/nuclearfacilitysafety.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stored primarily<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> onsite at the state\u2019s six power plants in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cu-citizenaccess.org\/2025\/05\/thousands-of-tons-of-nuclear-waste-remain-stored-at-power-plants-throughout-illinois-some-quietly-transported-on-state-highways\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">water-filled pools and dry storage casks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, an indefinite extension of what was originally supposed to be a short-term solution. Those six plants host 11 reactors that still generate over half of the electricity produced in the state.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But nearly 40 years later and no closer to an answer, lawmakers lifted the ban on new large-scale nuclear plants; the state had previously <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/Legislation\/BillStatus\/FullText?GAID=17&amp;DocNum=2473&amp;DocTypeID=HB&amp;LegId=0&amp;SessionID=112\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lifted a moratorium<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2023 on construction of small modular reactors generating less than 300 megawatts, though there are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id=67584\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">none commercially available<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe executive order was an important acknowledgement that nuclear energy must be part of the Illinois future,\u201d said Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, who has long been a proponent of lifting the moratorium. \u201cThe conversation has shifted from whether we need nuclear to how we get the projects built.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Nuclear communities<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, as the state looks to kickstart nuclear development, it\u2019s beginning conversations about where new plants would go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To that end, Pritzker directed state agencies to begin soliciting interest from communities open to hosting new nuclear facilities, as well as developers who may consider building and operating them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, leaders from nine communities around the state expressed interest in bringing new nuclear reactors to town. The letters are not a definitive declaration that any specific nuclear proposal has been accepted or received zoning approval, but rather the beginning of further conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">About half of Illinois\u2019 baseload power comes from nuclear generation, and Pritzker said at a quantum technology forum earlier this week that the prevalence of the technology has made finding sites for potential development easier in Illinois.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe don\u2019t have the problem where people are saying, \u2018Well, I don\u2019t know about nuclear \u2026 we don&#8217;t want that near where we live,\u2019\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cGuess what? We have 11, you know, we have major power plants all across northern Illinois, and people are like, \u2018sure you can build another power plant nearby.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, what communities are holding the door open to nuclear, and why?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of the nine Illinois communities that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/icc.illinois.gov\/notice-of-inquiry\/26-NOI-02\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">responded<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, six are those that already host nuclear: the city of Marseilles and the counties of DeWitt, Grundy, Ogle, Rock Island and Will.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two more are counties that have lived alongside large-scale power plants of another type: coal. Those are Peoria County, which saw its coal-fired power plant decommissioned in 2022, and <strong>Jasper County, which is set to see its coal plant decommissioned next year.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The final response came from the Illinois Nuclear Power Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which is seeking a microreactor for research and workforce training purposes. The energy capacity generated by the reactor UIUC seeks, a maximum of 45 megawatts, would not contribute directly to the state\u2019s energy utilization goals, but UIUC argued it would strengthen the state\u2019s position as a national nuclear leader.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bringing new nuclear to all nine sites would not be necessary to meet Pritzker\u2019s two-gigawatt goal; that could likely be achieved by building just two new power plants. Constellation, the operator of all six of Illinois\u2019 existing plants, estimated it could add 500 megawatts, a quarter of the total goal, to the grid through upgrades on current sites alone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jobs, taxes, energy<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In their response letters, many of the communities mentioned the potential for new high-paying jobs and long-term tax base stability as economic development priorities that drew them to pursuing nuclear.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DeWitt County Board Chair Joe Witte said supporting the county\u2019s existing relationship with Constellation, which has long operated the Clinton nuclear plant there and currently employs over 500 people, was also a priority.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThey\u2019ve been a great economic partner,\u201d Witte told Capitol News Illinois. \u201cBeyond just the jobs, I think they&#8217;ve been a great community partner as far as supporting a lot of our nonprofits. They host a lot of events. They sponsor events like blood drives and local festivals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those longstanding community partnerships, along with the economic impact and safety record at Clinton, have fostered goodwill and strong local support for nuclear projects, according to DeWitt County\u2019s interest letter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All the responses touted existing utility-scale infrastructure, skilled workforce bases and residents\u2019 familiarity with living side-by-side with large-scale energy generation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Officials from the counties ending coal production expressed pride in their regions\u2019 roles in energy production. Both counties proposed the site of their coal power plants as potential locations to house new nuclear, as they have appropriate zoning, space, water resources and existing transmission lines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jasper County Board Chairman Jason Warfel said his community had been an energy producer for his entire lifetime. He doesn\u2019t want to see that go away.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cWe see this as an opportunity really to continue that legacy rather than losing our place in Illinois\u2019 energy future,\u201d Warfel told Capitol News Illinois. \u201cWith the advent of AI, these data centers, the amount of energy production that&#8217;s being required now is concerning for individuals because the potential of blackouts, brownouts. Jasper County can be part of that solution.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Peoria County Administrator Scott Sorrel, it\u2019s especially important for downstate counties to be part of the energy solution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While ComEd customers in northern Illinois see energy prices set through auction by the grid administrator PJM, most Ameren Illinois customers in central and southern parts of the state rely on the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of Illinois\u2019 six nuclear plants and 11 reactors, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constellationenergy.com\/news\/2025\/constellation-meta-sign-20-year-deal-for-clean-reliable-nuclear-energy-in-illinois.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">only Clinton&#8217;s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> single reactor is on the MISO grid.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMISO has a need for that power just as much as PJM does, and I think it behooves all of Illinois to not just think of the power needs within the PJM-Chicagoland area, but to look at the power needs across the entire state,\u201d Sorrel told Capitol News Illinois. \u201cAll of us have needs to try and have affordable power for the buildings we work in and the homes we live in, and the more generation that can be brought online, whether it be solar, wind, nuclear, the better off we\u2019re going to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Time and money<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DeWitt County\u2019s Clinton plant is often cited as a top candidate for further nuclear development, as the current site is already owned by Constellation. It is the only single-reactor plant in the state, whereas the rest have two.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constellation has also already obtained an early site permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees nuclear plants. The preapproval effectively reserves the land for future nuclear development for the next two decades, with options to renew further, according to DeWitt County\u2019s letter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But even at a site with all the preapprovals lined up, it will take time to bring new nuclear energy online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jennifer Walling, CEO of the Illinois Environmental Council, an environmental advocacy group, estimated it would take 20 years to see a new large-scale nuclear plant materialize, or 10-15 years for small modular reactors that are still largely in development. And, she said, the cost could be high.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The last nuclear plant built in the U.S. was the Vogtle plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, which came online in 2023, seven years later than planned and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/georgia-nuclear-power-plant-vogtle-rates-costs-75c7a413cda3935dd551be9115e88a64\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> $17 billion over budget<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Ratepayers were on the hook for over $7.5 billion of that spending, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/news\/psc-raises-georgia-power-rates-passing-most-plant-vogtle-expansion-costs-on-to-customers\/6BAIOWM7J5BVHFZ2UN27KYXENA\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">raising residential energy bills by 10%.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To Walling, new nuclear doesn\u2019t meet the urgency of Illinois\u2019 energy needs, due to the financial and time constraints of building it. Three state agencies issued a report late last year that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/news\/as-state-regulators-warn-of-impending-energy-shortfalls-capacity-prices-rise-again\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">predicted shortfalls could hit<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> northern Illinois by 2029 and the rest of the state by 2031 if the state doesn\u2019t implement policy changes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou\u2019re definitely looking at something that\u2019s going to take a while, and this is a short-term crisis that&#8217;s happening,\u201d Walling said. \u201cAny proposal to build new nuclear should really look deeply at how it&#8217;s going to affect ratepayers. What is the real cost going to be?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, environmental and consumer advocates say the opportunities for renewables and battery storage are outpacing what nuclear can offer on costs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcbu.org\/local-news\/2024-03-12\/solar-flare-peoria-county-zoning-seeing-explosion-in-solar-applications\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">boom in solar<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> development led Peoria County to approve 37 permits for solar farms from 2017 to 2024, bringing in new taxes to support local school districts. A single <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ourquadcities.com\/news\/local-news\/new-henry-county-wind-farm-creates-jobs-energy\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wind farm in Henry County<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> brought over 200 jobs and was estimated to contribute over $25 million in property taxes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And those projects can be faster to deploy; solar and battery storage projects can be built in 12-18 months, and wind projects about two years, according to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/business\/energy-oil\/why-solar-and-wind-power-can-thrive-without-subsidies-cee47663\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wall Street Journal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The delay in getting renewable energy online, however, has largely happened at the grid operator level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBeginning to mid of my tenure in the General Assembly, people pretty much viewed renewables and environmentally sustainable energy as kind of an extra, kind of a nice thing, not a big business,\u201d Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, said. \u201cBut now wind and solar and storage are big business. They\u2019re creating jobs. They\u2019re giving back to communities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>New tech, developer constraints<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many advocates of nuclear are hoping to see the emergence of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/world-nuclear.org\/information-library\/nuclear-power-reactors\/small-modular-reactors\/small-modular-reactors\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">small modular reactors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, advanced reactors that are much smaller in scale than full-sized nuclear plants and can be pre-manufactured in factories and then shipped and installed on site. They generate around 300 megawatts of energy, nearly a third of traditional nuclear reactors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, there are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/world-nuclear.org\/information-library\/nuclear-power-reactors\/small-modular-reactors\/small-modular-reactor-smr-global-tracker\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">only two<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> small modular reactors, or SMRs, commercially operating in the world, one in Russia and one in China, though there are dozens more designs in development and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iaea.org\/topics\/small-modular-reactors\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">four in advanced stages<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of construction, though none operating commercially for energy production in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consumer advocates aren\u2019t optimistic they\u2019ll materialize in time to be a silver bullet for Illinois.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI would love for some new nuclear technology like SMRs to have a breakthrough, and suddenly we\u2019re building nuclear reactors in three years and they\u2019re cost competitive,\u201d said Nick Wallace, an attorney with the Environmental Law &amp; Policy Center. \u201cThat would be fantastic. The history of the nuclear industry makes me very skeptical that that\u2019s going to happen because we haven&#8217;t successfully built a new nuclear reactor on-budget and in a timely fashion in 40 years or something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developers themselves are mixed on the issue. Of the three responses the state received, two were from companies proposing SMRs. One of those was NANO Nuclear Energy, which has entered formal agreements with the University of Illinois for the micro modular research reactor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another developer, Blue Energy Global Inc., submitted a letter outlining a proposal to bring 3-5 SMRs. The 24-page letter had over 170 redactions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAs (SMRs) have yet to be deployed commercially in the U.S., considerable uncertainty exists about the construction cost, construction schedule, and operating costs of these new reactor technologies,\u201d Constellation wrote in its letter. \u201cCost uncertainty creates substantial challenges to engaging customers and investors in new project development.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though Constellation\u2019s letter made no commitments to building or expanding nuclear in Illinois, the company said it considered its existing six sites to be the most promising options for further development. The company said it would be feasible to build at least six gigawatts of new energy at those sites, far surpassing Pritzker\u2019s two-gigawatt target.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The state agencies and partners tasked with reviewing the interest letters from developers and communities are mandated to issue a report with their findings and recommendations in August.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rezin, who has been a major nuclear advocate, said Illinois is the right place for continued nuclear growth, pointing to the existing expertise in the state.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe would not be here if it weren&#8217;t for the world-class research institutions like Argonne National Lab and the University of Illinois,\u201d Rezin said. \u201cI am so proud of these experts, and we are very fortunate to have these experts right in our backyard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capitol News Illinois<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Byron Generating Station, owned by Constellation Energy, is pictured in Ogle County (CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS PHOTO BY ANDREW CAMPBELL) The state lifted its moratorium on new nuclear facilities, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":43002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>These Nine Illinois Communities Say They&#039;re Interested In New Nuclear Facilities - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/43001-these-nine-illinois-communities-say-theyre-interested-in-new-nuclear-facilities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"These Nine Illinois Communities Say They&#039;re Interested In New Nuclear Facilities - 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