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1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 101 | ||||||
2 | (As Amended by Senate Amendment No. 2
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3 | WHEREAS, Nuclear power accounts for roughly 19% of the | ||||||
4 | total net electricity generated in the United States; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The genesis of all of the nuclear industries in | ||||||
6 | the world was the first controlled nuclear chain reaction, | ||||||
7 | which took place in Illinois on December 2, 1942 at the | ||||||
8 | University of Chicago; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Illinois is home to more commercial nuclear plants | ||||||
10 | than any other state in the nation and is ranked first among | ||||||
11 | the 31 states with nuclear capacity, as of January 2005; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Of all of the states in the nation, the electric | ||||||
13 | industry in Illinois ranked sixth in highest carbon dioxide | ||||||
14 | emissions, eleventh-highest in sulfur dioxide emissions, and | ||||||
15 | eighth-highest in nitrogen oxide emissions in 2004; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Nuclear energy is clean compared to electricity | ||||||
17 | generated by burning fossil fuels, and nuclear power plants | ||||||
18 | produce no air pollution; and only a small amount of emissions | ||||||
19 | result from processing uranium used in nuclear reactors; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Expansions in the nuclear power market in Illinois |
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1 | have the potential to meet increasing demand for electricity | ||||||
2 | without adverse affects on air quality, global warming, and | ||||||
3 | public health; however, before the industry can grow, questions | ||||||
4 | regarding the safety and security of facilities and materials | ||||||
5 | in the immediate term and on an ongoing basis and questions | ||||||
6 | regarding long-term liabilities such as disposal of waste and | ||||||
7 | safe and affordable decommissioning must first be answered; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Given that Illinois derives almost one-half of its | ||||||
9 | power generation from nuclear power plants, and that a number | ||||||
10 | of issues are in public discourse concerning the current | ||||||
11 | plants, waste storage, and the future of nuclear generation in | ||||||
12 | a carbon-constrained world, the General Assembly of the State | ||||||
13 | of Illinois believes it is necessary to convene a task force to | ||||||
14 | study nuclear power issues; therefore, be it
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15 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | ||||||
16 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | ||||||
17 | CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Nuclear Power | ||||||
18 | Issues Task Force consisting of 11 members as follows: one | ||||||
19 | Senator chosen by the Senate President, who shall be a | ||||||
20 | co-chairperson, one Representative chosen by the Speaker of the | ||||||
21 | House of Representatives, who shall be a co-chairperson, one | ||||||
22 | Senator chosen by the Senate Minority Leader, one | ||||||
23 | Representative chosen by the House Minority Leader, one member | ||||||
24 | chosen by the Attorney General, the Director of the Illinois |
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1 | Environmental Protection Agency, or his or her designee, the | ||||||
2 | Director of the Illinois Power Agency, or his or her designee, | ||||||
3 | the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, or | ||||||
4 | his or her designee, and selected jointly by the | ||||||
5 | co-chairpersons one member from the business community, one | ||||||
6 | member from the environmental community, and one member with | ||||||
7 | homeland security experience in a government agency; and be it | ||||||
8 | further
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9 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, | ||||||
10 | the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the Office of | ||||||
11 | the Attorney General shall cooperate to provide technical and | ||||||
12 | administrative support for the Task Force, subject to available | ||||||
13 | appropriations for that purpose; and be it further
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14 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall compile information on | ||||||
15 | the following issues, as well as others it deems necessary: | ||||||
16 | (1) the decommissioning of existing or retired plants, | ||||||
17 | including waste storage or disposal issues; | ||||||
18 | (2) waste storage and movement within the State, | ||||||
19 | including any economic potential; | ||||||
20 | (3) the re-processing of spent nuclear fuel; | ||||||
21 | (4) critical security issues, including, but not | ||||||
22 | limited to, facility security requirements, personnel | ||||||
23 | security requirements, the complementary and overlapping | ||||||
24 | requirements imposed by the federal Department of Homeland |
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1 | Security, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and | ||||||
2 | other agencies, key metrics, and audit programs to ensure | ||||||
3 | ongoing security compliance; and | ||||||
4 | (5) the existing moratorium on new nuclear power | ||||||
5 | generation in the State, looking at the structure and | ||||||
6 | process for new generation, and how nuclear generation can | ||||||
7 | play a role in the future power needs of the State, | ||||||
8 | including looking also at greenhouse gas emissions and | ||||||
9 | potential regulations to constrain carbon output; and be it | ||||||
10 | further
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11 | RESOLVED, That in order to gather all necessary | ||||||
12 | information, the Task Force shall solicit expert testimony and | ||||||
13 | public opinion through a series of public hearings; and be it | ||||||
14 | further
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15 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall prepare a report and | ||||||
16 | file it with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the | ||||||
17 | House by January 1, 2009 detailing the issues raised and any | ||||||
18 | policy recommendations it deems necessary, if any, as well as | ||||||
19 | outlining the next steps for further study of the issues.
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