Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says legislation that provides billions of dollars in subsidies to power giant Exelon Corp. is imperfect but that he's "proud" of the deal lawmakers reached. The measure provides $235 million per year to Exelon to keep unprofitable nuclear plants running in Clinton and the Quad Cities.
More than 4 million customers of power-distributing subsidiaries ComEd and Ameren will pay more to finance the plan.
The Republican governor, who's expected to sign the Exelon bill, says that Clinton and the Quad Cities communities would have been "devastated" if those plants closed. He also says subsidies are "endemic" in American energy policy.
