Gov. Bruce Rauner says he wants to protect all the jobs he can at Exelon nuclear plants in Clinton and the Quad Cities. They're slated to close unless they get help from the state.
But Rauner says any measure that passes out of the legislature can't mean skyrocketing energy costs for residential and business customers.
“We can’t have our energy costs go through the roof, or we’ll lose more jobs," he said. "If we raise the energy costs for entrepreneurs that need to consume a lot of energy, they’ll lay people off. Saving some jobs at a plant won’t matter. So we need a balance.”
Exelon’s Clinton plant is in State Rep. Bill Mitchell’s district. The Forsythe Republican says Rauner's comments make him hopeful at the prospects of legislation.
"I hope the governor’s office does get involved, and we can see this bill move forward,” he said.
Exelon and subsidiary ComEd agreed last week to drop a request to change how customers are charged for energy. They also scuttled a plan containing subsidies for Illinois coal plants. Lawmakers are scheduled to be in session Tuesday through Thursday of next week.
