Nuclear power moves back to forefront of future Illinois electricity generation
Illinois is the home of eleven working nuclear reactors, the largest number of any state. These massive plants generate approximately 12% of the nuclear power of the U.S.
For almost 40 years, Illinois had a moratorium on the planning of development of new nuclear power plants. In the fall 2025 session, the Illinois General Assembly took action to lift the moratorium. This opens the door to a new cycle of planning. Venturers are pointing to new technology, including the construction of “small modular” power units that are physically unable to melt down because they cannot get hot enough to do so. Small modular units can generate up to 300 megawatts of power.
As part of the planning process, the State of Illinois asked Illinois local governments and organizations whether they would welcome being the site of a future nuclear power plant. Eight Illinois local governments and one university, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said “yes.” All six local governments that are the hosts of current reactors or reactor complexes joined in the affirmative response.
Two other counties, Jasper County in Southeast Illinois and Peoria County in west central Illinois, also signaled they were open to this possibility. Both Jasper County and Peoria County host coal-fired electrical generators that have shut down or are scheduled to soon do so. These counties represent all the sections of Illinois that have an urgent need for additional new electrical power generation at the same time as policies championed by the Pritzker administration are shutting down coal-fired plants in Illinois.
State Representative Mike Coffey said this:
“We should focus on preserving our energy from sources like natural gas, coal, and fossil fuels that work and expand on nuclear to meet our demands and keep prices affordable. Illinois has the ability to be a powerhouse in generating energy, but liberal policies have everyone on alert about rising energy costs and reliability issues.”
Mass Transit Sales Tax Hike Hits Chicagoland
The sales taxes charged in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, already among the highest in the nation, have now gone even higher. A new 0.25% sales tax increase hit goods and services on Saturday, August 1. The sales tax hike will hit consumers in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties. These six counties contain more than 50% of the population of Illinois. The law authorizing the creation of this tax increase, SB 2111, was signed by Governor Pritzker in late 2025. State Rep. Mike Coffey voted no on the bill that creates the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA), an oversight panel that is supposed to oversee the public-transit buses and trains of the Chicago area. Like all other government agencies, NITA needs additional money to start to operate. These funds are on top of existing tax flows that cover the expenses of the three public-transit operating agencies of the Chicago area: the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the Metra public-train agency, and the PACE suburban-bus and paratransit agency.
The six counties being hit by this sales tax hike make up almost all the service area of the new NITA. However, most of the money that will be paid will come from the Chicago suburbs, and most of the money spent will go to maintain the operations of the CTA within Chicago city limits. SB 2111 thus will generate an additional transfer of cash and resources from Chicago’s suburbs into the city of Chicago. The SB 2111 sales tax increase is slated to generate $478 million per year from local purchases, which will be paid to the new NITA. Much of the money will then be granted out to the three transit service agencies, particularly the CTA. The overall cost of the SB 2111 funding package to Illinois is estimated at $1.5 billion per year, including money transferred from State motor fuel taxes and Downstate Illinois road funds.
Caterpillar Announces $10 Million Investment in Workforce Training
Major machinery manufacturer Caterpillar has announced a $10 million investment in Illinois workforce training and development. The money will be targeted towards reducing barriers in the Illinois education-to-work pathway, such as creating slots in work-oriented community college programs. Caterpillar employs more than 17,000 Illinois residents. Caterpillar operates a branch headquarters and a cluster of major manufacturing facilities in Illinois, centering on the Peoria area. Other Caterpillar facilities operate in Decatur and Pontiac. The Caterpillar-funded “Building the Future Workforce Initiative” works in partnership with local business groups such as the Greater Poria Leadership Council and the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County. These groups operate and enlarge the existing career-center pathways that go to high schools and community colleges. Their informational work helps to educate young adults about the opportunities created by future manufacturing, and the need for people with this vocation to acquire the specialized training credentials they will need to move forward. The Caterpillar announcement was made on Wednesday, July 29.
Rep. Coffey understands the importance of education and expanding training and employment opportunities for working families. He filed House Bill 1729 to help address the workforce shortage facing the trades and manufacturing sectors of the economy. The Reinvest in Future Technical Careers Act provides tax credits for those who make authorized contributions to funds that award scholarships to students who attend technical academies. HB 1729 would provide opportunities for those who are not otherwise able to afford the training.
“This bill has really come about from conversations I have had during my ‘Mike on Main Street’ tour across the district meeting with different businesses. One common theme has come up every time: we don’t have enough workforce, we need more help,” Coffey said. “They say ‘We don’t have the technical support to fill these positions.’ So the hope is these scholarships will help train individuals to get into the workforce. We need more plumbers, we need more pipefitters, we need more electricians so that we can grow and build Illinois, and that’s the point of my bill.”