Illinois has suffered for decades from serious cognitive dissonance on nuclear energy. The state boasts the nation’s largest fleet of nuclear reactors, generating more than half its electricity from those plants. Yet lawmakers in Springfield followed the lead of environmental activists who regard the industry with open disdain. Since 1987, the Land of Lincoln maintained a ban on the construction of new nuclear plants.
That perplexing attitude is finally changing. Last week, Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed into law an energy package that officially ends the state’s nuclear moratorium. In doing so, the 2028 presidential hopeful personified the Democratic Party’s gradual realization that the country cannot meet its electricity needs — let alone combat climate change — without embracing the world’s largest source of clean energy.
The move represented a welcome reversal for Pritzker, who in 2023 vetoed a bill to lift the ban. He claimed to be concerned back then that the measure lacked safety protections and argued that large nuclear reactors would be too costly for taxpayers. Pritzker later got behind a measure to allow the construction of small modular reactors, which use advanced nuclear technology at a small scale. But those designs — while promising — remain experimental and operate nowhere in America.
His shift on the issue follows changes in public opinion. The percentage of U.S. adults who support nuclear power jumped from 43 percent in 2016 to almost 60 percent last year, according to the Pew Research Center. That includes a recent surge in support from Democrats, a majority of whom have come around to the industry, especially as advanced reactor designs promise to be safer and produce less waste. In fact, some leaders in the party, such as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, are actively promoting nuclear energy in their states.
Of course, just because Illinois now allows the construction of new plants does not guarantee that they will materialize. While the Trump administration has been seeking to speed up reactor development, the state’s regulation-hobbled and union-dominated economy makes it one of the least attractive places for cutting-edge entrepreneurs.
Pritzker’s energy reform package illustrates the state’s tendency to get in its own way. The law seeks to address rising utility bills, and it has some attractive points in addition to the nuclear provision. For example, it attempts to streamline the permitting process for energy projects, especially battery storage. But it also expands the state’s authority to micromanage utility companies. It needlessly burdens the state’s solar industry with new rules that force developers to hire union labor, which will make it more expensive and ensure less widespread adoption of green technology.
No one should hold their breath for Illinois to get its act together anytime soon. Still, it’s heartening to see Democrats in states with one-party rule accept the reality that economic vitality requires generating enough electricity to meet an ever-growing demand.
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