CLINTON – State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Frankfort) and State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) traveled to the Clinton Power Station Thursday to tour the facility and meet with employees.

“As a devastating energy crisis unfolds in Texas due to winter storms, consumers are experiencing skyrocketing natural gas prices. This demonstrates how essential our nuclear fleet is to reliable energy production in Illinois,” said Hastings, who serves as chair of the Senate Public Utilities and Energy Committee. “Rest assured, when the time comes, I will be prepared to do everything it can to protect our existing clean energy infrastructure.”

This is Hastings’ sixth power plant tour in recent months, as his committee begins its work this spring on the future of the state's energy policy. Exelon has indicated it will close more nuclear plants this year unless it receives additional aid, and state lawmakers are expected to discuss the future of clean energy in Illinois thoroughly this session.

Joining Hastings on the tour was State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield).

“The situation in Texas serves as a harsh reminder of what can happen when state government neglects existing energy infrastructure while also failing to innovate. Everyday Texans are still enduring unusually frigid temperatures without access to heat and water. This simply cannot be allowed to happen in Illinois,” Turner said. “I look forward to working to ensure that our state’s energy infrastructure remains state-of-the-art, implement training programs for people transitioning to a job in a new energy sector and protect existing, good-paying jobs Downstate.”

The Clinton Power Station has the ability to generate nearly 1,069 net megawatts, enough electricity to power about 1 million average American homes. The 5,000-acre cooling lake is formed by a dam built at the convergence of Salt Creek and the North Fork of Salt Creek. The station serves as an economic driver for numerous Downstate communities, contributing $13 million in property taxes annually. Clinton also supports 2,100 direct and secondary jobs in Illinois.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Frankfort) will continue to serve on Senate President Don Harmon’s leadership team as Majority Caucus Whip during the 102^nd General Assembly.

“I am deeply humbled President Harmon has given me the distinct honor of continuing to serve on his leadership team,” Hastings said. “While our state faces challenges not seen in generations, I have no doubt that under his leadership we will give our people the relief they deserve by implementing solutions in an effective, bipartisan manner.”

Hastings was appointed to Senate President Harmon’s leadership team to serve as Majority Caucus Whip in 2020. In this role, Hastings works closely with fellow caucus members on policy issues and offers advice on their respective legislative agendas. Hastings will also continue to serve as chair of the Senate Public Utilities and Energy Committee.

“We have our work cut out for us in 2021,” Hastings said. “In addition to providing our communities with the tools necessary for an effective and efficient COVID-19 response, we need to consider solutions that secure the future of clean energy in Illinois. That starts with investing in existing infrastructure and preserving the good-paying jobs in our communities.”

In the coming months, Hastings hopes to help foster bipartisan collaboration on key issues, including equitable clean energy solutions, implementing ethics reform to restore the public’s trust in government, and increasing support for small businesses and families struggling during the pandemic.

Hastings has served the 19th Legislative District since 2012, when he was elected as one of the youngest Senators in state history. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to pass legislation with the goal of improving the social and financial climate of the state of Illinois.

BYRON – Continuing a statewide fact finding mission, State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Frankfort) traveled to Byron, Illinois to meet with local leaders and plant employees to discuss future prospects for Illinois’ clean energy infrastructure today.

“As the spring session looms and our legislative priorities come into focus, major questions about the future of our state’s clean energy infrastructure need to be asked,” said Hastings, who serves as chair of the Senate Public Utilities and Energy Committee. “How do we invest in our clean energy future and preserve the good-paying jobs in our communities? I have traveled to power plants in every corner of our state in search of these answers, and I am privileged to have been given the opportunity to meet with the folks in Byron today as a part of that mission.”

Featuring iconic twin cooling towers overlooking the Rock River Valley, the Byron Generating Station's two nuclear reactors supply power to 2.3 million homes each year. For nearly 30 years this power plant has provided thousands of good-paying jobs and generated billions of dollars in economic support, including about $38 million in taxes annually for schools, roads and other public services.

“Working families in Northern Illinois have depended on power plant jobs as a path to the middle class for decades. We need to do everything we can to keep the power plant in Byron open,” Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said. “The number of jobs and the ancillary economic impact provided by the plant is essential for growth to continue in Rockford and the surrounding communities.”

Hastings expects major energy legislation to be considered during the spring legislative session.

FRANKFORT – State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Frankfort) joined state and local officials today on a tour of the Tinley Park Convention Center, which will play host to a COVID-19 vaccination hub for the South Suburbs.

“Today’s establishment of a mass vaccination site at the Tinley Park Convention Center is a monumental mark in the fight against COVID-19 in the South Suburbs,” Hastings said “Efforts of this scale do not come to fruition without the complete dedication of state and local leaders. Their willingness to coordinate made this achievement possible, and the people of the South Suburbs will undoubtedly be in a better place for it.”

Cook County residents can book a vaccination appointment starting noon today through the Cook County Public Health Department’s website. Through this process, which begins at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, this site will administer nearly 9,000 does per week and will have the capacity to administer 18,000 doses per week as soon as the federal vaccine supply increases.

“Members of our National Guard and medical community are working around the clock to ensure that we meet our goal of providing folks across the Southland with reliable access to the vaccine,” Hastings said. “Their efforts have resulted in a simple, efficient process and I encourage everyone to take the 15 minutes necessary to partake when you are eligible.”

Over 3.2 million Illinoisans are eligible for Phase 1B of vaccine distribution. Eligible residents, including everyone over age 65 and frontline essential workers, will be able to receive a vaccine at one of the Illinois National Guard assisted sites, at a site operated by a local health department, or at a partner pharmacy.