A RECENT AGREEMENT MEANS
CUSTOMERS ARE GOING TO FOOT THE
BILL TO KEEP TWO ILLINOIS
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS OPEN.
TONIGHT, TWO INVESTIGATOR BRAD
EDWARDS EXAMS WHAT HAPPENS TO A
COMMUNITY WHEN A NUCLEAR PLANT
DOES CLOSE.
HE VISITS SUBURBAN ZION.
Reporter: ZION IS 257 ACRES
ON LAKE MICHIGAN.
AND WE HAVE A NUCLEAR WASTE
DUMP.
Reporter: THAT USED TO BE A
POWER PLANT UNTIL THE PARENT
COMPANY CLOSED IT 19 YEARS AGO.
TODAY, YOUR RELATIONSHIP
WITH THEM?
I GUESS I WOULD DESCRIBE IT
AS NOT VERY GOOD.
ARE YOU ANGRY?
AM I ANGRY?
YEAH I'M ANGRY FOR A LOT OF
YEARS TRYING TO DEAL WITH THEM.
Reporter: THEY MADE $2.2
BILLION IN 2015, BUT IN
LEGISLATION PASSED IN THE VETO
SESSION, CUSTOMERS WILL PAY AN
EXTRA $2.35 BILLION OVER A
DECADE TO BAIL OUT TWO NOW
MONEY LOSING NUCLEAR PLANTS IN
CLINTON.
MY WARNING TO THOSE
COMMUNITIES WOULD BE TO PREPARE
NOW.
Reporter: LOSE -- LOSING
THE PLANT IS A KICK IN THE
TEETH.
TO SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, AND
PARKS WILL BE OUT $18 MILLION
IN TAX REVENUE A YEAR.
AND THAT HAPPENED.
TO PLUG THAT HOLE, HOMEOWNERS
PAY ONE OF THE HIGHEST TAX
RATES NATIONWIDE, ROUGHLY
$7,000 PER $100,000 IN HOUSE
VALLEY.
TWO-THIRDS OF THE HOMES ARE NOW
RENTALS.
WHILE ZION IS 3.5% OF THE
COUNTY'S POPULATION, IT GETS
35% OF THE LOW INCOME HOUSING
VOUCHERS.
HOMEOWNERS ARE STUCK.
I HEAR THAT ALL THE TIME.
THE TAX I HEAR IS THREE TIMES
WHAT IT WAS OVER THE STATE LINE
WHICH IS A MILE AWAY FROM ME.
THE ONLY WAY TO LOWER THE TAX
RATE IS TO GET BUSINESSES TO
COME HERE.
Reporter: A DIFFICULT SALE
WITH WHAT SITS ON THE STANDS OF
LAKE MICHIGAN?
A MILLION KILOs.
OF NUCLEAR WASTE.
OF NUCLEAR WASTE.
Reporter: IN A STATEMENT,
THEY SAY, QUOTE, WE CONTINUE TO
MEET OUR REMAINING COMMITMENTS,
WHICH INCLUDES DECOMMISSIONING
THE SITE.
THEY SAY IT WOULD ALSO LIKE TO
SEE A LONG-TERM SOLUTION FOR
STORAGE, BUT NOBODY WOULD LIKE
TO SEE A SOLUTION MORE THAN AL
HILL.
HERE WE ARE SITTING THERE AND
NOBODY SEEMS TO CARE.
Reporter: BRAD EDWARDS,
CBS2 INVESTIGATORS.
IF THE WASTE ISN'T REMOVED,
ZION SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR
BEING A DEFAULT NUCLEAR STORAGE
DUMP.
