Chambana Sun

State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) has a list of reasons for opposing the energy legislation that now sits on the desk of Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

"You’re still going to give private for-profit companies that are essentially venture capitalists – out of, I don’t know where they are - the right to put up new power lines across my constituents’ homes, take their property, effectively take their homes by putting one in their backyard,” Rose  said during Senate floor debate. “Multinational companies treating my constituents when they come to my communities like dogmeat.”

Besides what he sees as a lack of ethics, Rose is also critical of the plan that would give nearly $700 million in ratepayer subsidies to Exelon over the way he argues it completely ignores the downstate region of the state, adding he’s convinced private-rune power plants are being targeted while plants owned and operated by public institutions barely attract attention.

“If you’re a private producing energy plant, you get shut down,” he said. “If you’re a state-owned plant ... no big deal. Carbon, carbon, carbon. City of Springfield: OK. But if you’re Prairie State, bye bye.”

Having already passed the House, Senate Bill 2408, which covers the state’s nuclear power plants, coal generation, and solar and wind power, now awaits the governor’s signature.

With Pritzker having already indicated he plans to sign off on it, the measure stands to change the state’s energy policies for the next quarter century.

 Again, Rose fails to see the logic.

“All those electrons are going to get backfilled from Indiana and Kentucky with carbon,” he said. “We’re going to trade carbon for carbon except this time we get the privilege of paying more for it.”

Prior to SB 2408’s passage, Exelon had been expected to close several of its nuclear plants.

“This new policy offers a better future for the employees who have run these plants at world-class levels, the plant communities that we are privileged to serve and all Illinoisans eager to build a clean-energy economy that works for everyone,” Exelon President and CEO Christopher Crane said in a statement.

Pritzker argues that the measure will create more jobs across the state.

“There are so many renewables companies that are looking to do business in the state of Illinois to enhance our capability, that’s precisely what we’re trying to do,” he said.