As we approach Labor Day 2021, let me take a moment to thank all the hardworking people of Illinois who make our state a great place to live. Let me give extra praise to the essential and frontline workers who have spent more than a year risking their own health and livelihoods to care for the rest of us. Your efforts are deeply appreciated.

Thank you so very much,

State Senator Steve Stadelman joined his colleagues this week in approving legislation to invest in the thousands of people who work at nuclear plants, including at Byron near Rockford, and who rely on these jobs for their livelihoods. Senate Bill 18 protects and creates tens of thousands of jobs statewide while setting Illinois on a path toward clean energy for Illinois.

“This is a smart investment in the future of Illinois,” Stadelman said. 

Ensuring Byron stays open provides economic stability for the people who work there and allows Illinois to generate its own carbon-free energy instead of importing from fossil-fuel burning plants in other states.

In addition, the legislation would help train thousands of people for good-paying jobs in the clean energy economy and also invest in solar energy by incentivizing construction of large-scale solar facilities across the state. The creation of a number of statewide programs will help train workers for these new clean energy jobs, providing a solid pipeline for people to move into the growing renewable energy sector.

“The truth is we cannot burn fossil fuels forever. They’re a limited resource, and we know they damage our environment,” Stadelman said. “Let’s start transitioning people to renewable energy jobs before plants are closed and thousands of Illinois residents don’t know where their next paychecks will come from.”

Senate Bill 18 also would establish rights for workers at fossil-fuel and nuclear power plants and mines to help them transition to new jobs in the renewable energy sector. In addition, the legislation would help provide for children of these displaced workers by supplying a one-year scholarship for tuition at Illinois’ public colleges and universities.

Under the legilsation, Illinois would become a national leader in reducing carbon emissions through a transition to renewable, reliable and affordable energy. If approved in the House of Representatives and signed by the governor, the bill also would set Illinois on a path to full renewable energy generation by 2050.