Bill Text: IL SR1719 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Enrolled
Bill Title: Urges Congress to pass legislation to allocate funds from the Interim Storage Fund to the local authorities in Zion and other similarly situated communities to mitigate social and economic impacts arising from the storage of nuclear material.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)
Status: (Passed) 2016-05-31 - Resolution Adopted as Amended [SR1719 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-SR1719-Enrolled.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1719 | ||||||
2 | (As Amended by Senate Amendment No. 1)
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3 | WHEREAS, Zion Nuclear Power Station was a dual reactor | ||||||
4 | nuclear power plant built in 1973 along the
shore of Lake | ||||||
5 | Michigan on 257 acres in the City of Zion; and
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6 | WHEREAS, The two Zion reactor units, each with a generating | ||||||
7 | capacity of 1,040 MW, remained
operational for approximately 23 | ||||||
8 | years from 1973 to 1997; and
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9 | WHEREAS, The construction of the Zion Nuclear Power Station | ||||||
10 | was funded by utility ratepayers
throughout the State of | ||||||
11 | Illinois; and
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12 | WHEREAS, The people of Zion cooperated with utilities in | ||||||
13 | the construction and placement of the Zion
Nuclear Power | ||||||
14 | Station in their city; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Zion Nuclear Power Station paid $19.8 million in | ||||||
16 | local taxes in 1996, and those taxes
represented approximately | ||||||
17 | 55% of the local tax base; and
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18 | WHEREAS, The loss of tax revenue has shifted the local tax | ||||||
19 | burden onto the people of Zion, and
negatively impacted the | ||||||
20 | local taxing bodies including the City of Zion, Zion Township, |
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1 | Zion Elementary
School District 6, Zion-Benton High School | ||||||
2 | District 126, Zion-Benton Library District, and Zion Park
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3 | District; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Decontamination and dismantlement of the Zion | ||||||
5 | Nuclear Power Station began in 2011 and
continues with an | ||||||
6 | estimated 2020 final closure date; and
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7 | WHEREAS, The 1982 federal Nuclear Waste Policy Act was | ||||||
8 | enacted to provide for the development of
repositories for the | ||||||
9 | disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear | ||||||
10 | fuel, including creation of
the Interim Storage Fund; and
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11 | WHEREAS, The previously approved spent nuclear fuel | ||||||
12 | repository at Yucca Mountain remains incomplete
and unfunded | ||||||
13 | and no alternative permanent fuel repository has been | ||||||
14 | designated; and
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15 | WHEREAS, The Interim Storage Fund was created using | ||||||
16 | ratepayer funds to make payments to a state or
local government | ||||||
17 | to mitigate social or economic impacts arising from the | ||||||
18 | operation of an interim
storage facility; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Upon completion of the dismantlement process, due | ||||||
20 | to the lack of a permanent fuel
repository, 2.2 million pounds | ||||||
21 | of spent nuclear fuel rods will remain at the Zion Nuclear |
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1 | Power Station,
rendering the area a de facto interim nuclear | ||||||
2 | storage facility; and
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3 | WHEREAS, The storage of this nuclear material will render a | ||||||
4 | large portion of Zion's Lake Michigan
shoreline unusable and | ||||||
5 | valued at a fraction of its fair market value, resulting in a | ||||||
6 | massive negative
economic impact on the community; therefore, | ||||||
7 | be it
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8 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | ||||||
9 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Congress to | ||||||
10 | pass legislation to allocate funds from the Interim Storage | ||||||
11 | Fund or any other funds to the local
authorities in Zion and | ||||||
12 | other similarly situated communities to mitigate social and | ||||||
13 | economic impacts
arising from the storage of nuclear material; | ||||||
14 | and be it further
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15 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
16 | delivered to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul | ||||||
17 | Ryan, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and all | ||||||
18 | members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.
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