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WHAT’S NEXT IN ILLINOIS NUCLEAR BATTLE: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker vetoed a bill on Friday that would have ended the moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants. But the move is now staring down a veto override threat from one the bill’s sponsors – and based on the margins of those that voted for the bill, it’s possible that such a measure could succeed.
The bill, dubbed Senate Bill 76, would have lifted a moratorium placed in the 1980s that banned the construction of new nuclear power plants, citing concerns on the disposal of nuclear waste. Senate Bill 76, which passed the General Assembly in an overwhelmingly bipartisan manner, would amend the Illinois Public Utilities Act and specifically allow for the development of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors – otherwise known as SMRs.
Environmental groups had raised fears about the bill and Pritzker’s veto message touched on some of those.
“The bill is vetoed because the vague definitions in the bill, including the overly broad definition of advanced reactors, will open the door to the proliferation of large-scale nuclear reactors that are so costly to build that they will cause exorbitant ratepayer-funded bailouts,” the statement reads. “Additionally, it provides no regulatory protections or updates to address the health and safety of Illinois residents who would live and work around these new reactors.”
In a message sent to members of the Illinois General Assembly, the governor stated that he would veto the bill “at the request of the leadership team of the Speaker of the House and advocates” – even though the Democratic House Speaker, Emanuel “Chris” Welch, voted for the bill.
Looking forward: Republican Sen. Sue Rezin, one of the bill’s sponsors, had said on Friday that she had already filed paperwork to override the veto during the upcoming veto session this fall.
“The governor is clearly putting his own partisan political ambitions over what is in the best interest of the people of Illinois by his sole decision to veto bi-partisan legislation to improve Illinois’ future energy portfolio sustainably and cost-effectively,” Rezin said in a press statement. “Creating a sustainable energy future for our children and our children’s children is not a zero-sum game. We must take advantage of the massive advancements in nuclear technology if we truly want to reach a carbon-free future.”
On the House side, Democratic Rep. Lance Yednock said that he’s currently looking into filing the paperwork for the lower chamber – but is watching the Senate to make its move first, since the bill originated there.
“Instead of continuing to see that our prices just keep going up and up, we need to have a solution that says, ‘if you want carbon-free energy that’s reliable and good for the future, we should go back to looking at nuclear power,’” Yednock told Nancy. “And maybe some of these small modular nukes would be the answer.”
Could it happen? The bill passed the state Senate by 39-13 in March, and later passed the House 84-22 in May. Twenty Senate Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the measure, along with more than 40 Democrats in the House. These totals would allow for three-fifths of the chamber to override the governor’s veto.
Pritzker’s veto runs against Illinois’ history of being nuclear-friendly – it has established itself as the largest producer of nuclear power in the U.S., and nuclear serves as a central component of its clean energy ambitions. In 2021, the legislature approved nearly $700 million in subsidies over five years to save unprofitable nuclear plants.
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BIDEN STOPS SHORT OF KEY UAW REQUESTS IN NEW STATEMENT: President Joe Biden released a statement today on talks between the United Auto Workers and the Big Three automakers, calling on all sides to “work together to forge a fair agreement” in their contract negotiations, even as he stopped short of some critical asks from the union.
Big Three automakers should “ensure that when transitions are needed, the transitions are fair and look to retool, reboot, and rehire in the same factories and communities at comparable wages, while giving existing workers the first shot to fill those jobs,” Biden said in the statement.
But it notably did not include support for having joint battery venture factories be included in the talks—a key ask from UAW and union president, Shawn Fain, who accused the Biden administration earlier this summer of “actively funding the race to the bottom” with its EV incentives.
UAW has not yet endorsed Biden for reelection, citing his stance on EVs.
BIDEN OFFICIALS HIT THE ROAD TO HIGHLIGHT IRA ONE YEAR IN: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will warn of risks of over-relying on China and a handful of other countries for the clean energy supply chain at remarks in Las Vegas today. During her speech marking the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, Yellen will speak about the challenges of transitioning the economy to more renewable energy sources while also protecting U.S. energy security.
Her remarks will come shortly after she tours a union facility where workers are being trained specifically for jobs in the clean energy sector.
“Today, the production of critical clean energy inputs – from batteries to solar panels to critical minerals – is concentrated in a handful of countries,” she will say.
She will also praise the “resilience” of the U.S. economy in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic while zeroing in on the importance of legislation like the IRA to help “rebuild” the U.S. manufacturing base and “reduce chokepoints, mitigate disruptions, and protect our economic security.”
Lots of other officials will take a victory lap on the IRA this week: Biden will travel to Wisconsin tomorrow to visit a clean energy manufacturing company and will hold a celebratory event at the White House later this week. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will be visiting Alaska, meanwhile, to highlight the administration’s investment in infrastructure, climate resilience, and a clean energy economy, and senior Biden adviser Mitch Landrieu will speak in New York and Alabama.
HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC SHARES PLUMMET AS LAWYERS BEGIN SEARCHING FOR CAUSE OF MAUI WILDFIRES: Hawaiian Electric Industries shares plunged by a record amount amid fears that its power lines may have been linked to the spread of last week’s catastrophic wildfires in Maui—and as attorneys prepare to sue the utility as early as this week.
Some have accused the utility provider of failing to turn off power even after the National Weather Service and other forecasters warned about the intense low-pressure system created by Hurricane Dora, some 800 miles away, as well as intense wind gusts that they said could exacerbate fire risks.
Shares for Hawaiian Electric fell by a whopping 42% this morning, according to Bloomberg, which reports that attorneys with three separate plaintiffs law firms have been collecting evidence, interviewing eyewitnesses, and reviewing reports about damaged infrastructure in Maui as they prepare to take legal action.
“All evidence — videos, witness accounts, burn progression, and utility equipment remaining — points to Hawaiian Electric’s equipment being the ignition source of the fire that devastated Lahaina,” Mikal Watts, a Puerto Rico-based plaintiffs lawyer at Watts Guerra, told the outlet.
CAISO WARNS OF HIGH DEMAND AND POSSIBLE FLEX ALERTS AHEAD OF HEAT WAVE: California’s grid operator is warning of high demand and tight capacity ahead of an expected heat wave this week, saying in a press release over the weekend that its operators are “closely monitoring” conditions to protect against rolling blackouts.
Resources are expected to be stretched thin across most of the West, however, which could be a problem for California, as it relies more heavily on energy imports than any other state, with imports accounting for between one-fifth and one-third of its electricity supply, according to data from the U.S. Energy Administration.
CAISO said its supplies appear to be sufficient to meet projected demand. But that could change if weather conditions are more extreme than expected or if grid conditions worsen—in which case it would likely have to issue a Flex Alert urging consumers to bump up their thermostats and reduce their use of major appliances between the hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
MASSIVE E.U. SOLAR GROWTH PUTS IT CLOSER TO RENEWABLES TARGETS: Most European Union countries are now on track to meet their 2030 renewable energy goals ahead of time, according to new data, underpinned in large part by explosive solar power growth.
In total, EU countries added 41 GW of new solar capacity in 2022, or a whopping 40% increase compared to 2021, according to Politico EU. The bloc is expected to increase that in a major way again this year, with solar expected to grow to more than 50 GW total by the end of 2023.
The data, compiled by the group SolarPower Europe, puts roughly 23 countries within the bloc on track to meet their solar installation targets ahead of schedule.
The growth comes as EU countries raced to increase their share of renewables following the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
But it also makes the bloc highly dependent on things like utility-scale batteries, which can help keep solar power online after the sun goes down, and the bloc still lags far behind in that area, according to SolarPower Europe. Read more on the report here.
NIKOLA RECALLS ALL BATTERY ELECTRIC SEMITRUCKS AFTER JUNE FIRE: EV truck maker Nikola announced it is recalling its entire fleet of 209 battery-electric semitrucks after one caught fire at its headquarters in Phoenix in June.
The recalls, which did not affect Nikola’s latest hydrogen fuel cell model, which began production last month, caused the company’s shares to plummet, dropping by roughly 11% by midmorning, according to CNBC.
The company said in a statement late last week that a coolant leak inside a battery pack was likely the source of the June fire, which destroyed five trucks total.
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