Vistra Corp. just announced it is closing three major Illinois power plants in Baldwin, Kincaid, and Newton, delivering another painful blow to our state caused directly by Governor J.B. Pritzker’s disastrous green energy agenda.
Hundreds of hardworking Illinoisans will lose their jobs. Newton will lay off 83 workers in October 2027, Kincaid will cut 99 in January 2028, and Baldwin will lose 122 in February 2028. These are good-paying jobs in communities that can’t afford to lose them.
For years, myself and others have warned this day was coming. Pritzker’s 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) forced a reckless rush to shut down reliable coal and natural gas plants with no realistic backup plan in place. Now the consequences are hitting home: weaker grid reliability and skyrocketing costs for families and businesses across Illinois.
This is exactly what we predicted. Pritzker and his Democrat supermajority put radical ideology ahead of reality, and Illinois families are paying the price with higher electricity bills and less dependable power.
Illinois needs a balanced, all-of-the-above energy policy that protects jobs, keeps power affordable and reliable, and stops sacrificing our workers on the altar of green fantasies. I will continue advocating to reverse this madness before more plants close and more families suffer.
