Illinois Quick Hits: Energy department announces nuclear financing boost
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing has announced a conditional loan commitment of up to $5 billion to finance upgrades across Constellation Energy’s nuclear fleet in Illinois, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
A statement from the Department of Energy said the modernization efforts will add nearly 1.1 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 930,000 homes.
Constellation’s planned investments for Illinois include Braidwood, Byron, Clinton, Dresden, LaSalle and Quad Cities.
Illinois, Oregon AGs lead suit against corporate transparency change
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield co-led a coalition of 21 attorneys general in a lawsuit they say is aimed at stopping the Trump administration from gutting the Corporate Transparency Act.
The coalition is challenging a new regulation exempting most businesses from revealing personal ownership information.
The attorneys general say criminals often stash money in shell companies that are designed to hide personal information of those who own or control businesses from law enforcement and taxing authorities.
Community college CTE programs grow
Illinois officials say enrollment in career and technical education programs at community colleges in the state grew 5.9% this fall.
The state has increased taxpayer funding for community colleges by 43%, or $63.1 million, since 2019. Total community college enrollment decreased 0.7% statewide from fall 2025 to fall 2026.
Du Sable Park groundbreaking
Chicago officials have broken ground on a site dedicated as DuSable Park in 1987 by then-Mayor Harold Washington and turned over to the city’s park district the next year.
It wasn’t until 2021 that the park district completed an environmental remediation project with funding support from federal taxpayers through the Environmental Protection Administration.
A statement from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office said the DuSable Park project was made possible by a $10 million public-private partnership with Related Midwest. Additional funding came from a $5 million Open Space Impact Fee city grant, a $400,000 Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant, and at least $100,000 from the Chicago Park District.
The project is slated for completion in the summer 2028.
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