Tim Knauss reports that a former chairman of the New York Public Service Commission and a former leader of the federal agency that regulates power markets are the latest voices saying New York nuclear subsidies are unacceptable.
But New York regulators at the PSC say their plan fights climate change and compensates nuclear plants for an attribute that is not adequately accounted for in the market, notably the continued production of large amounts of low-carbon power. PSC officials say the nuke subsidies are analogous to subsidies for wind and solar power.
At least two environmental groups, Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Protection Fund, oddly enough support the state position. But the plaintiffs in the case, a coalition of power generators that mostly burn natural gas, argue that New York subsidies will depress prices and cost them millions of dollars.
Some environmental groups, including New York Public Interest Research Group, have joined the plaintiffs as unlikely allies. But what unites most of the critics is the fact that the subsidies target three specific nuclear plants, including FitzPatrick and Nine Mile Point in Oswego County and Ginna in Wayne County. The amount of subsidy rises or falls depending on how much the plants earn in the wholesale market, a key factor that critics point to as evidence that the measure disrupts market activity.
Maybe these actions will settle this matter once and for all ....?
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