Politics & Government
Schneider Leads Call To Assist Nuclear-Affected Communities
Already teetering on the financial brink by decades of federal neglect, communities are facing existential threat of COVID-related expenses.
Press release from Congressman Brad Schneider:
July 24 2020
WASHINGTON– Today, Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) led a letter to Congressional leadership calling for the inclusion of financial assistance for nuclear-affected communities in the next round of Covid-related legislation. Joined by nine of his colleagues, Schneider notes that many of these communities have been facing budgetary constraints for decades—and that recent Covid-related expenses threatened to bring these communities into insolvency.
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“The current public health emergency that has cost local governments billions around the country has brought our communities over the edge. Worst-case scenarios that were previously in the 2-3 year timeline are now imminent for nuclear-affected communities,” the letter stated. “The legacy of nuclear power has long made these communities economically and fiscally vulnerable – emergency costs from the pandemic will almost certainly bring them over the edge without additional, specific federal assistance.”
This is the second time Schneider has called on Congressional leadership to provide assistance for these communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in May, Schneider and Senator Duckworth called on Congressional leadership to include their STRANDED Act in upcoming pandemic-related legislation. Schneider has long advocated for federal assistance to communities like Zion, IL, which houses spent nuclear fuel and shoulders the burden of nuclear power’s legacy in the region. The STRANDED Act would establish a non-competitive grant program for nuclear-affected communities like Zion. As the next generation of nuclear generators come offline, more communities around the country will be forced to deal with the long-term economic legacy of nuclear power.
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Text of the letter can be found here. Members joining Schneider included: Rep. Andy Kim (NJ-03), Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Rep. Peter Welch (VT-AL), Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02), Rep. Harley Rouda (CA-48), Rep. Richard E. Neal (MA-01), and Rep. Ron Kind (WI-03).
This press release was produced by the Congressman Brad Schneider. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
