Grassroots advocacy
The Grassroots Movement that Saved One-Third of Illinois’ Clean Electricity
Byron and Dresden plants narrowly avoid closure thanks to the efforts of pro-nuclear advocates.
Article by: Gio Liguori and Eric Meyer
Today marks a massive victory for the United States pro-nuclear movement as key laws were passed in the Illinois legislature that secure the futures of the Byron and Dresden Nuclear Plants.
Byron and Dresden provide an unbelievable 30% of all of Illinois’ clean electricity but were dangerously close to being shuttered by Exelon due to record low gas prices and an absence of the kind of clean energy subsidies that solar and wind receive. To put that in context, that’s more than twice of all the solar and wind in Illinois in 2021.
Were Bryon and Dresden to have closed, Illinois would have lost 30% of its clean energy.
The two plants had been slated to close today, September 13th and would have seen over 2,000 people lose their jobs and 4 million homes switch to being powered by fossil fuels. It would have been a catastrophic blow to our future clean energy supply.
Generation Atomic has fought tirelessly these last almost two years since the completely unnecessary closures were announced (the plants could keep operating safely for many more years).
With volunteer-driven efforts targeting media, legislators, and key negotiators, Generation Atomic’s advocacy efforts played a vital role in preventing these closures.
Persuading Legislators
Thanks to an easy-to-follow template posted on Generation Atomic’s website, nuclear advocates sent 1132 fax messages to Illinois Deputy Governor Christian Mitchell and several senators and representatives. Gen A was also able to hold several meetings with legislators and their staffers, speaking with them directly about the madness of closing Byron and Dresden right in the middle of a climate crisis.
Some of these members include Rep. Ann Williams, Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, and Sen. Laura Ellman, all of whom voted in support of the budget bill that saved the plants. In partnership with the American Nuclear Society Chapter at the University of Illinois, two legislative visit training sessions were held to prepare volunteers for their lobbying campaigns.
In the final week before the house approved SB2408, Gen A held a phone bank where volunteers made almost 70 calls to the offices of key negotiators to the bill, making our case to save the plants. And finally, Alyssa Hayes, a nuclear engineer who grew up near a nuclear plant that was prematurely closed in Zion, IL, made an impassioned plea to learn from the mistakes Illinois has made in the past and save these nuclear plants.
Alyssa’s testimony focussed on the essential tax revenue that large nuclear plants bring to otherwise impoverished areas of the country. These taxes pay for education and other public services. Nuclear energy — especially compared to other clean energy sources — brings stable, long-term jobs and real social value to its communities. Nuclear energy is equitable energy.
Media Outreach
As well as talking to representatives and staffers, Gen A ran an extensive print and digital media campaign. Jim Hopf, the Policy Lead at Gen A, wrote an Op-Ed that was published in three Illinois newspapers, including Rockford Register Star, Rochelle News-Leader, and Shaw Media’s network of syndicated papers in small towns all across Illinois.
A few months later Jim teamed up with Eric Meyer, Gen A’s Executive Director, to publish a follow-up piece in the same outlets. These op-eds highlighted the environmental and economic dangers the closures would bring.
We also collaborated on several videos with the Nuclear Humanist, a popular YouTuber in the nuclear energy sphere, including an overview of the impacts of the closures and an interview with Alyssa Hayes, Gen A’s IL Campaign Coordinator.
Doubling down on the outreach efforts with Protect Nuclear Now, a coalition letter with 40 other organizations in support of the plants was crafted and published online. The letter’s “coalition of academics, activists, engineers, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, unionists, and concerned citizens” emphasized the need to pass a law to save the nuclear plants and avert the 26 million tonnes of additional CO2 emissions the closures would cause.
Our Pals at Other Organizations
Fortunately, Generation Atomic was not alone in the fight to save Byron and Dresden; we were part of a large coalition of advocates. Early on, the American Nuclear Society held an informative webinar on the impact nuclear energy has in Illinois, with panelists ranging from legislators, CEOs, union members, engineers, and community leaders. The webinar highlighted the long-term reliability of both Byron and Dresden, their security and safety measures, and the positive social impact they have on their local economies.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chapter of the American Nuclear Society held a tabling event with Stand Up for Nuclear and Campaign for A Green Nuclear Deal at the state Capitol, handing out delicious doughy goodness and telling Illinois, “Donut Lose Our Greatest Source of Clean Energy.”
They also held seven legislative meetings and made dozens of calls to lawmakers and their staff. Climate Jobs Illinois organized a massive rally in which bipartisan legislative members and hundreds of union employees participated.
It was truly an outstanding showing of organized labor, volunteers, and decision-makers coming together to express their support for this important energy infrastructure and to protect the 30,000 direct and indirect jobs that could be lost if the plants closed.
Grassroots power won out
Without the surge of grassroots support, the bill to save Illinois’ plants would have likely failed to pass in time. Emissions would have risen. Jobs would have been lost. Communities shattered.
Generation Atomic thanks all our volunteers and collaborators — without you, we could not done it.
While this is a huge win for the future of equitable clean energy, the fight to save nuclear energy across the country continues — in fact, in many ways, it’s just beginning.
This victory is just one battle in a greater war, but one where the pro-science, pro-nuclear community now has the momentum.
If you’d like to support future grassroots efforts for nuclear energy, make a tax-deductible donation to Generation Atomic here.
