On a family visit with my 12-year-old niece to Philadelphia recently, my niece, Helen, solved climate change. She suggested that we, on Earth, find a planet in our galaxy with a species that breathes in carbon dioxide and exhales oxygen and that we trade with them. Brilliant idea, but until we find that planet with “Carbon Breathers,” Pennsylvania state legislators have mapped out a smart plan to keep the state’s nuclear plants (which avoid 37 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, the equivalent of 8 million cars) up and running.
If you have a chance to read the 42-page report from the Pennsylvania Nuclear Energy Caucus (NEC), it is worth the read. There is no better written, more thorough or compelling record of state action to preserve nuclear plants. The report walks through the findings from a series of hearings in which Pennsylvania legislators learned about the environmental benefits of nuclear generation, the significant economic impacts nuclear facilities have on communities, and how nuclear brings critical attributes like resilient electricity and energy security to rate-paying Pennsylvanians.
The NEC was established in March 2017 to give members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly an opportunity to become more educated about nuclear energy's importance to the state. Co-chaired by State Sens. Ryan Aument and John Yudichak and State Reps. Becky Corbin and Rob Matize, the NEC now has over 75 members.
The Caucus embarked on a thorough fact-finding effort conducted over the last two years from which they derived policy recommendations for consideration during the next legislative session in 2019. The policy options for Pennsylvania included in the report are:
- Do nothing and lose nuclear plants to premature closure, a decision that is irreversible
- Modify the state’s existing Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS) or establish a Zero Emission Credit (ZEC) program to put nuclear generation on equal footing with other zero-emission electric generation resources
- Modify their AEPS or establish a ZEC with a “safety valve” mechanism allowing the state to independently procure some of its capacity from specific state-preferred generation resources
- Establish a state carbon emissions-fee program.
This report gives us a clear picture of the goals the legislature is seeking. And it also follows a trend we’re seeing in the states to move towards policies that include nuclear in their clean energy portfolios and clean technology programs. (Already, three states—New York, Illinois and New Jersey—have decided to use ZECs to compensate their nuclear plants for their carbon-free electricity generation. And a fourth state, Connecticut, has begun to implement a Zero Carbon Procurement program to fairly compensate nuclear plants.)
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf who has noted the importance of nuclear to the state’s environment and economy in the past—recognized the report release and indicated he plans to work with the legislature next year, which is encouraging especially for those at Three Mile Island and Beaver Valley nuclear power plants with announced closures. Now more than ever, those thousands of employees need bipartisan leadership from their Governor and legislature.
The Pennsylvania legislative session begins January 1 and runs all year but with those nuclear plant closures looming, legislators should prioritize nuclear legislation—or space exploration programs to find the Carbon Breathers.
For more, see NEI’s fact sheet on nuclear energy in Pennsylvania.
