Already home to more nuclear power plants than any state in the nation, Illinois is on the verge of lifting a nearly four-decade-old ban on building reactors as the state transitions from coal and natural gas.

       The move comes as other states have rescinded similar bans and policymakers are taking a fresh look at nuclear as another alternative to generate energy without increasing carbon output.

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       And while the legislation lifting the ban in Illinois moved relatively quietly through the General Assembly earlier this year, the effort has led labor unions and environmentalists — two groups that typically align with the Democrats who dominate Springfield — to be on opposite sides of the issue. Labor sees the possibility of new nuclear plants as an opportunity to preserve high-paying jobs in the energy sector, while environmentalists see it as an expensive distraction from a future with cleaner power sources.