Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) promotes green energy development to take the place of shuttered coal and nuclear plants. | Photo Courtesy of Melinda Bush's website
Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) promotes green energy development to take the place of shuttered coal and nuclear plants. | Photo Courtesy of Melinda Bush's website
Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) introduced legislation in May to help create jobs in areas where coal plants, coal mines or nuclear plants closed and promoted developing green energy throughout the state.
The Energy Transition Zone Act, which is linked to Senate Bill 1747, would allow areas with coal power plants, coal mines, or nuclear power plants to apply to be designated as "energy transition zones," Bush's office said in a release about the proposal.
"To protect our environment and stop global warming, we need to close coal plants," Bush said in a May 7 Facebook post. "But, as we make strides toward green energy, we can’t forget about the families who rely on these plants to put food on the table or the communities that need their tax dollars to function."
To be eligible, nearby plants or coal mines must have closed within the previous 10 years, or the municipality must include a nuclear plant that was decommissioned but still retained nuclear waste before the measure's effective date.
Green energy businesses that are classified as energy transition zones will be eligible for a variety of tax incentives, including exemption from state and local gas and electricity taxes, as well as the right to buy some construction materials that are excluded from usage and occupation taxes and can be used for green energy projects, Bush's office said in a release.
Twelve coal plants in the state have closed, with eight of them shutting down within the last 10 years.
The bill passed the Senate on May 6 and is now headed to the House of Representatives for further review.
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