If Illinois were a country, it would have the world’s 12th-largest number of nuclear power reactors, behind China and ahead of Sweden. No other U.S. state generates more energy through fission.
Exelon Corp. (EXC), which operates all 11 of the state’s reactors, is no stranger to President Barack Obama. The Chicago- based company has served as a source of campaign contributions and also created environmental and political challenges to navigate.
Even as his administration reviews all U.S. reactors following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that triggered radiation leaks from a crippled Japanese plant, Obama last week called nuclear power an “important part” of his energy agenda. That mirrors the balancing act he displayed in his adopted home state, which generates more than a tenth of U.S. nuclear power.
“It’s a large part of our power generation,” said Senator Mark Kirk, a Republican who won Obama’s old seat in November. “And we have more waste than any other state.” ...Obama’s 2012 budget calls for an additional $36 billion in U.S. loan guarantees for new nuclear power plants.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-23/nuclear-illinois-helped-shape-obama-view-on-energy-in-dealings-with-exelon.html