Calvin Butler is president and CEO of Exelon. (WTTW News)

Energy infrastructure is under constant threat — from extreme weather to security concerns. As the effects of climate change challenge the energy production sector, the utilities charged with producing that energy sustainably, equitably and affordably are at an inflection point.

(WTTW News)

A massive energy bill became law this week and among other things, it aims to get Illinois carbon-free by 2045. Meanwhile, Illinois COVID vaccination rates slow as the delta variant surges. And the legislature’s veto session is coming up in a month.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the state's Climate and Equitable Jobs Act at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021. (Anthony Vazquez / Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday signed into law a pledge to eliminate the state’s climate-damaging carbon emissions within a quarter-century, including money to keep clean-power nuclear plants running while shuttering coal-fired plants.

(WTTW News)
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An ambitious – and controversial – energy package that aims to move Illinois to 100% clean energy within the next several decades is on the path to becoming law. 

Exelon has been steadfast that it will begin to shut down its nuclear plant in Byron unless a law is passed by Monday’s end, a law that would have ratepayers pay an extra charge on electric bills to keep Exelon nuclear plants running. (WTTW News)
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The Illinois House is reconvening Thursday for what lawmakers hope will be the penultimate chapter of yearslong energy negotiations. And now it’s truly down to the wire for a far-reaching omnibus package.

(WTTW News)
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Legislators have been working toward a measure that would keep two Illinois nuclear plants open. Despite a rash of talks during Tuesday’s special session, there is still no concrete path — and less than two weeks remain until Exelon says it will close the plants.

At full power, Byron’s nuclear plant is pumping out enough energy to power some 2 million northern Illinois homes. (WTTW News)
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Illinois legislators may be back in Springfield soon for a second extra session. Their sole goal: to strike a deal on a massive energy package. The result will impact everything from Illinois’ role in climate change to your energy bill. But the stakes are particularly high in one Illinois town. 

(WTTW News)

Exelon strikes a $885 million deal with a French utility giant, but will it cost the energy company more than what it paid? Crain’s Chicago Business reporter A.D. Quig has details on that story and more.

Byron Nuclear Generating Station in Ogle County, Illinois. (Christopher Peterson / Wikimedia Commons)
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With possibly just a few weeks left before Exelon shutters a nuclear reactor in Byron, feuding and politically powerful interests have failed to reach a deal that would keep the plant open and otherwise move Illinois toward its renewable energy goals.

Former Exelon CEO Anne Pramaggiore, who retired Tuesday (Exelon / Facebook)

Former Exelon CEO Anne Pramaggiore is in line for $7.7 million in benefits after her abrupt resignation Tuesday amid a federal investigation of the company’s Springfield lobbying practices. 

A controversial energy bill is set to be signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday. We hear from both sides of the debate over the Future Energy Jobs Bill.

Speaking before a group that opposed the recent bill to raise electric rates and bail out two failing nuclear plants, Gov. Bruce Rauner explained why he supported it.

(Chicago Tonight)

After a long debate, a last-minute push to bail out two downstate nuclear plants passed the Illinois General Assembly late Thursday at the tail end of the veto session.

The budget standoff is not over as the General Assembly’s fall session draws nearer to a close and to a possible doomsday scenario.

The so-called Future Energy Jobs Bill would bail out two struggling nuclear plants. Critics say it would amount to the largest rate hike in U.S. history.

(Daniel X. O'Neil / Flickr)

Will there be a radical change in how consumers pay electricity bills in Illinois?