Illinois House OKs zero-carbon power plan, Senate is next
September 13, 2021 4:00AM CDT
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois House has approved a wide-ranging plan to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050. Approval came Thursday night on an 82-33 vote after a compromise allowing to coal-fired plants to remain open until 2045 but cut their emissions by nearly half in the next 14 years. The Senate will take up the proposal on Monday. If approved, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he will sign it. The idea is that Illinois would do its part to slow climate change by eliminating carbon emissions. It requires a $700 million subsidy to keep two nuclear power plant afloat, closing coal generators and investing in renewable energy. Republicans question the ability for the state to reach the proposal’s ambitious goals.