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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has 11 operating nuclear
3power reactors and more radioactive spent fuel than any other
4state in the nation; and
 
5    WHEREAS, An equipment malfunction, fire, human error,
6natural disaster, or terrorist attack could, separately or in
7combination, lead to a nuclear catastrophe with potentially
8devastating human, environmental, and economic consequences
9for the citizens of Illinois, the region, and nation; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The March 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima
11Daiichi plant in Japan has resulted in significant radiation
12exposure for countless Japanese citizens, billions of dollars
13in economic losses, and unimaginable hardship for thousands of
14Japanese families who have lost their homes and way of life;
15and
 
16    WHEREAS, All but one of the nuclear power plants in
17Illinois have reported groundwater leaks; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The LaSalle and Clinton power plants have suffered
19year-plus outages due to mechanical malfunctions and safety
20failures; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The earthquake risk at the Dresden nuclear power
2plant has been determined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
3to exceed the capacity of its design; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Braidwood, Byron, Clinton, Dresden, LaSalle, and
5Quad Cities nuclear power plants do not periodically review
6their voluntary but critical Severe Accident Management
7Guidelines (SAMGs), according to a Nuclear Regulatory
8Commission audit conducted after the Fukushima disaster; and
 
9    WHEREAS, According to many independent experts, there are
10well-documented safety and security shortcomings at the
11nation's 104 operating nuclear reactors that can and should be
12corrected to improve public health and safety; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The residents of Illinois have an inalienable
14right to have their voices heard regarding possible threats to
15the health, safety, and general well-being of themselves, their
16families, their property, and the surrounding environment
17arising from the State's nuclear power plants; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The people of Illinois want a safe and secure
19energy supply for themselves and future generations; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly takes its
21responsibility to represent its citizens with utmost

 

 

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1seriousness; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has complete
5jurisdiction over U.S. nuclear power safety and security
6matters, must ensure that concrete steps are taken now to
7address serious shortcomings in nuclear plant safety and
8security that have been evident for years, however no
9technology can be made perfectly safe, but the Nuclear
10Regulatory Commission can and must do more to guard against
11accidents as well as the threat of terrorist attacks on
12reactors and spent fuel pools; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That the Illinois General Assembly urges the
14Nuclear Regulatory Commission to do the following: (1) require
15Illinois nuclear power plant owners to transfer radioactive
16spent fuel from storage pools to much safer dry casks as soon
17after 5 years of cooling as possible; (2) ensure that everyone
18at significant risk from a severe accident, not just people
19within the arbitrary 10-mile zone currently used for emergency
20planning, is protected; (3) extend the scope of its regulations
21to include the prevention and mitigation of severe accidents;
22and (4) improve protection of the nation's nuclear power plants
23against terrorist attacks; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That we further direct the House clerk, upon
2passage of this resolution, to send copies to all 5
3Commissioners on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the
4Governor of Illinois, the Illinois Congressional Delegation,
5and to the CEO of Exelon, the company that owns all Illinois
6nuclear power plants, with an accompanying cover letter stating
7the date this resolution was passed by the General Assembly in
8the State of Illinois.