December 4, 2016 - Exelon Corporation, which owns ComEd, is lobbying in Springfield, IL for legislation – called the Future Energy Jobs Bill (SB 2814) – that would bail out its unprofitable nuclear power plants. The plan would institute the largest electricity rate-hike in U.S. history, costing Illinois residents $16.4 billion through 2040. And according to independent economic modeling from IMPLAN, the bail-out would cost Illinois more than 43,000 jobs and destroy $14.4 billion in economic activity.

The Exelon bail-out won’t “save jobs” or protect the environment, but it would make electricity more expensive and less reliable. And that’s bad for everyone.

Here are some ways you can help stop the bail-out:

• Look at the research, news, and commentary below to learn the facts about this important issue.

• Contact Gov. Bruce Rauner's office and contact your state legislator. Tell them to stop the Exelon bail-out!

• Sign the petition below, which The Heartland Institute will send to the Gov. Rauner and every state legislator in Illinois.

• Talk to your neighbors and friends, ask them to visit this website and sign the petition, too. 

Petition Opposing SB 2814

To Gov. Bruce Rauner and members of the Illinois Assembly:

We, the undersigned, strongly oppose SB 2814 – the so-called Future Energy Jobs Bill – and urge the legislature to reject the bill and, if it is passed by the legislature, we urge Gov. Rauner to veto it.

Exelon claims it needs the legislation to avoid closing three of its nuclear power plants. It further claims such closures would cause 4,200 people to lose their jobs, eliminate $1.8 billion in economic activity, and result in $18 billion in “social cost of carbon” harms if nuclear power were replaced by conventional power sources.

In fact, objective scholarship shows SB 2814 would produce a subsidy to Exelon valued at $1.6 billion over the next five years, raising electricity costs by approximately $300 per household. This is a high and unbearable burden on the citizens of Illinois, who are already dealing with higher electricity prices and slower economic growth than most of our neighboring states.

The legislation would destroy at least as many jobs as it “saves” and reduce, not preserve, economic activity benefiting everyone in Illinois. Exelon’s claim that nuclear power is better for the environment than fossil fuels is false and based on biased political science, not real science.

For these reasons, we urge you to reject SB 2814 and any other similar legislation that mandates the use of expensive and unreliable renewable fuels.