Protecting nuclear plants should be key provision of Illinois climate policy
Madison Czerwinski
Posted5/2/2021 1:00 AM
Springfield is debating whether to save Illinois' nuclear plants from premature closure. Our plants are being forced to compete against historically cheap natural gas in an electricity market that ignores the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.
Now, a new working paper by economists from Carnegie Mellon shows the Zero Emissions Credits (ZECs) program implemented to prevent the closure of the Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear plants in Illinois in 2016 led to cleaner air and lower carbon emissions while simultaneously saving us money on our electricity bills.