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Nuclear Power Plants: Freeloading in Florida [View all]
The rest of the article shows how a "reform" the public is demanding was completely subverted by the nuclear industry.
Nuclear Power Plants: Freeloading in Florida
Published: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, May 13, 2013 at 11:40 p.m.
Lawmakers have reminded us once again who their masters are when they're in session in Tallahassee — and it's not the people of Florida. No, the Florida Legislature serves big business first, and nothing makes the point stronger than the House and Senate votes in the final week of this year's legislative session on what was touted as a reform of the state's nuclear Cost Recovery Act.
The Recovery Act was created by the Legislature in 2006 to help big power companies, particularly Duke Power (formerly Progress Energy) and Florida Power & Light, pay for the design and construction of costly nuclear power plants. The idea was to allow the companies to expand Florida's power-generating capacity on a pay-as-you-go basis, theoretically saving consumers in the long run.
But the law was and is flawed. It does not require the companies to actually build the plants for which they are collecting fees. Most offensive of all, it does not require the companies to reimburse customers if those plants are never built.
So far, Duke Energy and FP&L have collected some $1.5 billion, with most of Duke's portion presumably going toward the construction of two proposed Levy County nuclear power plants. Yet, increasingly it appears Duke has no immediate plans to move forward with the project. Slowed population growth and falling natural gas prices have made the urgency for more nuclear power wane.
MINIMAL OVERSIGHT
The law that ...
Published: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, May 13, 2013 at 11:40 p.m.
Lawmakers have reminded us once again who their masters are when they're in session in Tallahassee — and it's not the people of Florida. No, the Florida Legislature serves big business first, and nothing makes the point stronger than the House and Senate votes in the final week of this year's legislative session on what was touted as a reform of the state's nuclear Cost Recovery Act.
The Recovery Act was created by the Legislature in 2006 to help big power companies, particularly Duke Power (formerly Progress Energy) and Florida Power & Light, pay for the design and construction of costly nuclear power plants. The idea was to allow the companies to expand Florida's power-generating capacity on a pay-as-you-go basis, theoretically saving consumers in the long run.
But the law was and is flawed. It does not require the companies to actually build the plants for which they are collecting fees. Most offensive of all, it does not require the companies to reimburse customers if those plants are never built.
So far, Duke Energy and FP&L have collected some $1.5 billion, with most of Duke's portion presumably going toward the construction of two proposed Levy County nuclear power plants. Yet, increasingly it appears Duke has no immediate plans to move forward with the project. Slowed population growth and falling natural gas prices have made the urgency for more nuclear power wane.
MINIMAL OVERSIGHT
The law that ...
http://www.theledger.com/article/20130514/EDIT01/130519735/1002/SPORTS?Title=Nuclear-Power-Plants-Freeloading-in-Florida
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