FirstEnergy thinks its Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear power plants are so wonderful that Ohioans should pay 5 percent more on their electric bills for the privilege of sharing a state with them.
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Dean Ellis, of competing power producer Dynegy, calls the proposed “Zero-Emissions Nuclear Resource Program” “a stealth tax on Ohio citizens and businesses.” He’s got a point. Electric users would have to pay more whether they choose FirstEnergy’s power or not, and the company is urging lawmakers to impose the scheme on the theory that it’s in the public interest.
Is it?
The company wants Ohio to create a system of credits to reward it for the fact that nuclear plants don't emit gases. But coal and gas don’t produce nuclear waste. And wind, solar, and hydroelectric power are cleaner than fossil fuels or nuclear power.
FirstEnergy also argues that unlike facilities that rely on wind and sunlight, nuclear plants operate around the clock. Does the company think coal and gas depend on good weather?
The company touts the jobs provided by nuclear plants. Every kind of electric production creates jobs. At the moment, natural gas is creating many more new jobs in America than nuclear power.
Moreover, the cost of electricity isn’t only a charge to consumers. Businesses pay too. So making power costlier could help drive companies away from Ohio, and jobs with them.
So far, FirstEnergy’s plan is a brochure, but sources tell the Cleveland Plain Dealer it could be legislation backed by GOP leaders very soon. It shouldn’t be.
First Published March 13, 2017, 4:00 a.m.