>> LESS THAN TWO WEEKS REMAIN

UNTIL EXELON SAYS IT WILL CLOSE

A PAIR OF NUCLEAR PLANTS IN

ILLINOIS.

LEGISLATORS ARE WORKING TO KEEP

THEM OPEN.

THERE IS NO CONCRETE PATH.

AMANDA VINICKY JOINS US NOW WITH

MORE.

AMANDA ARE THEY AT LEAST CLOSE?

>> PARIS, YOU DESCRIBED IT AS A

SPARK AND THAT IS TRUE.

ALBEIT A SMALL ONE WHILE MOST

YOU WERE PROBABLY ASLEEP AT 1:00

A.M., THE ILLINOIS SENATE PASSED

A MASSIVE ENERGY BILL AND THAT

IS MORE MORE.

THAN THERE HAS BEEN.

AND THIS MEASURE WILL HAVE

CUSTOMERS PAYING A CHARGE ON THE

ELECTRIC BILL TO KEEP THE

NUCLEAR PLANTS OPEN BUT IT SETS

TARGETS FOR MOVING ILLINOIS TO

RELY SOLELY ON RENEWABLE ENERGY

AND IT DOES MORE.

>> THIS IS ABOUT EQUITY, THIS IS

ABOUT JOBS AND ECONOMIC

OPPORTUNITY.

THIS IS ABOUT SUPPORTING

COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IN

TRANSITION RIGHT NOW AND ARE

ALREADY EXPERIENCING THE CLOSURE

OF FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS NOT

BECAUSE OF LEGISLATION BUT

BECAUSE COAL AND OTHER DIRTY

FOSSIL FUELS ARE BEING PUSHED

OUT OF THE MARKET BECAUSE THEY

ARE UNCOMPETITIVE.

>> LET'S UNFOLD THIS THIS

OMNIBUS PACKAGE, EXELON SAYS THE

PLANTS ARE LOSING MONEY SO

WITHOUT A SUBSIDY IT WILL SHUT

THEM DOWN AND IN BYRON, IT WILL

COMBINE DEACTIVATING A GENERATOR

SEPTEMBER 13TH AND THAT WOULD

MEAN THE LOSS OF THOUSANDS OF

JOBS AND COULD UNDERMINE

ILLINOIS' CLIMATE GOALS BECAUSE

ILLINOIS' NUCLEAR FLEET IS

RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN HALF

OF ALL OF THE ENERGY PRODUCED IN

THE STATE BUT ALSO, THE VAST

MAJORITY OF CARBON FREE ENERGY.

BOB GALLO DIRECTOR OF AARP

ILLINOIS SAYS CUSTOMERS SHOULD

NOT BE FOOTING THE BILL TO KEEP

THESE PLANTS OPEN, AARP DID A

STUDY AND IN IT ESTIMATES THAT

IT WILL COST RATEPAYERS $14

BILLION OVER THE NEXT DECADE.

>> OUR CONCERN ALL ALONG HAS

BEEN MAKING SURE THAT RATEPAYERS

ARE REPRESENTED IN THESE

CONVERSATIONS AND TO DATE THEY

HAVEN'T.

AND THERE'S SUCH A DEJA VU ALL

OVER AGAIN ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON

WITH ComEd AND EXELON.

THIS IS LIKE A LET'S MAKE A DEAL

WITH THE LEGISLATURE

>> NOW, THAT IS IN REFERENCE TO

THE LEGAL TROUBLE THAT EXELON

ComEd IS IN IN PART BECAUSE

OF AN ALLEGED BRIBERY SCANDAL IN

WHICH THE COMPANY WORKED TO PASS

A LAW SEVERAL YEARS AGO THAT

SIMILARLY BAILED OUT NUCLEAR

PLANTS IN CLINTON AND THE QUAD

CITIES.

BUT THIS IS FAR FROM THE ONLY

HURDLE.

A MAJOR OBSTACLE HAS BEEN OVER

HOW AND WHEN ILLINOIS WILL SCALE

DOWN COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS.

GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER AND

ENVIRONMENTALISTS WANT ALL COAL

PLANTS CLOSED BY THE YEAR 2045.

AGAIN, ALL OF THEM.

THEY ALSO WANT ALL OF THESE

PLANTS ESPECIALLY ONE THAT

OUTSIDE OF ST. LOUIS THAT HAS

CONTRACTS WITH THE

MUNICIPALITIES INCLUDING

NAPERVILLE TO HAVE TO RAMP DOWN

PRODUCTION UNTIL THAT CLOSING

DATE.

>> ULTIMATELY, WE NEED TO PHASE

OUT FOSSIL FUELS FROM OUR

ECONOMY ALTOGETHER BUT WE HAVE

TO MAKE EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS

QUICKLY THIS IS TIME SENSITIVE.

THE LONGER WE WAIT THE MORE TONS

OF CARBON GO INTO THE

ATMOSPHERE, THE MORE THE PLANET

GETS HOTTER.

SO IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE A

DATE WHERE WE ARE GOING TO DO

THIS IN THE FUTURE.

WE HAVE TO HAVE THOSE DATES BUT

WE NEED TO START ACTING RIGHT

NOW.

>> BUT CRITICS INCLUDING

LEGISLATORS FROM DOWN STATE SAY

THAT PREMATURE TARGETS AND

CLOSURE ALSO FORCE ILLINOIS TO

IMPORT ENERGY FROM NEIGHBORING

STATES.

>> AN ISSUE PRESS RELEASES THAT

WILL BE THE TOUGHEST STATE IN

THE UNION WE ARE GOING TO GET

RID OF CARBON.

REALLY?

BECAUSE HERE IS WHAT IS GOING TO

HAPPEN.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE ALL THE

ELECTRONS WILL COME FROM?

THEY WILL GET BACKFILLED FROM

INDIANA AND KENTUCKY WHICH ARE

CARBON.

>> THAT HE SAYS OR RISK ROLLING

BROWNOUTS TO WHICH MICHAEL

HASTINGS HAD THIS RESPONSE.

>> THAT'S SOME BOOGIE MAN TALK

IF YOU ARE RUNNING FOR POLITICAL

OFFICE.

THERE IS MECHANISMS IN THIS BILL

THAT WILL DETERMINE WHETHER OR

NOT THE BASE LOAD GENERATION FOR

THE STATE IS ADEQUATE ENOUGH TO

MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE

CONSUMERS.

>> NOW, YOU HAVE OTHER

LEGISLATORS OPPOSING SOMETHING

THAT IS A GUIDING PRINCIPLE OF

THIS ENDEAVOR AND THAT IS STATE

SUPPORT, YES, TAXPAYER MONEY,

FOR WIND AND SOLAR ENERGY

COMPANIES.

STATE SENATOR NEIL ANDERSON

CALLS INEFFICIENT POWER SOURCES

AND THE PRIORITY USED TO BE ON

ILLINOIS GOING CARBON FREE AND

NOW THE GOAL IS MOVING

COMPLETELY TO WIND AND SOLAR.

THIS LEGISLATION DOES HAVE A

TARGET OF MOVING ILLINOIS TO

100% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2050.

>> WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

IT'S BECAUSE ALL THE WIND AND

SOLAR AND INEFFICIENT POWER

COMPANIES OUT THERE THAT ARE

TRYING TO GET THEIR HAND IN THE

TAXPAYER POT DON'T WANT NUCLEAR.

THEY DON'T WANT NUCLEAR POWER

THAT IS WHY WE'VE CHANGED THE

NARRATIVE.

USED TO BE CLEAN.

NOW IT'S RENEWABLE.

>> THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE

CHANGES STATE SENATOR DON HARMON

WHO HAS BEEN IN THE GENERAL

ASSEMBLY FOR 18 YEARS, SPOKE TO

THOSE CHALLENGES BUT ALSO HINTED

AT HOPE FOR WORKING SOMETHING

OUT.

>> IN MY ENTIRE TIME IN THE

SENATE THIS MAY BE THE MOST

COMPLICATED BILL AND THE MOST

CHALLENGING NEGOTIATION OF WHICH

I'VE EVER BEEN PART.

I MET TODAY AS I HAVE SEVERAL

TIMES WITH THE GOVERNOR AND THE

SPEAKER.

AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE HAVE

VERY WILLING AND ABLE PARTNERS

IN BOTH TO GET THIS ACROSS THE

FINISH LINE.

IN PARTICULAR, BECAUSE OUR

EFFORTS TO LISTEN TO THE

GOVERNOR'S PRIORITIES, TO INSURE

THAT THERE IS A HARD CLOSE OF

CARBON EMITTING PLANTS.

AND THAT THERE ARE NO SPECIAL

DEALS.

WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR THE

REQUIREMENTS HE WOULD HAVE TO

SIGN THE BILL.

>> SO WHAT IS NEXT?

PROCEDURALLY THE MEASURE HEADS

TO THE HOUSE AND MORE

NEGOTIATING BETWEEN UNIONS AND

ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND ALSO THE

GOVERNOR WHO HAD WHAT I WILL

DESCRIBE AS A TEPID RESPONSE TO

THE SENATE PLAN SAYING HE WANTS

A VARIOUS CHANGES TO IT.

AND REALLY THIS COAL PLANT PHASE

OUT IS GOING TO BE A KEY PART OF

THAT.

MEANWHILE YOU HAVE EXELON

ISSUING A STATEMENT SAYING IT IS

ESSENTIALLY DOING ALL IT CAN TO

KEEP THINGS RUNNING AT THE BYRON

PLANT IN CASE THERE IS A

LEGISLATIVE SOLUTION BUT THE

CORPORATION SAID QUOTE TO BE

CLEAR, BYRON WILL RUN OUT OF

FUEL AND WILL PERMANENTLY

SHUTDOWN ON SEPTEMBER 13TH

UNLESS A LAW IS ENACTED BEFORE

THEN.

WITH THAT PARIS, BACK TO YOU.

>> DOWN TO THE FINAL DAYS IN

WHAT FEELS LIKE AN END BUILDING