For more than three decades, Illinois has had a ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants. A bill that passed out of Senate Committee this week and filed by State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) would end the moratorium and allow the state to increase its energy capacity with this efficient source of energy.

Senate Bill 76 would allow public utility and energy companies the option to choose whether they want to invest in the construction of both traditional, large nuclear reactors or new, small modular reactors that could be placed in existing infrastructure such as factories or pre-existing coal-fired power plants that are already connected to the electric grid.