HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — At a rally in Harrisburg Wednesday, hundreds of workers from Pennsylvania’s five nuclear power plants urged lawmakers to pass bills they say will help save our state’s nuclear industry.
Senate Bill 510 recognizes the state’s nuclear plants as “carbon free” and adds nuclear power to the state’s “alternative energy portfolio standards.”
It requires electric utilities to buy power from a list of clean and alternative energy sources, like wind and solar.
If passed, the bill would cost taxpayers about $500M a year.
However, supporters say the cost of nuclear failing would be in the billions and would also damage the state’s attempt to adopt clean energy.
“If you care about climate change, you’ve got to go nuclear. There’s no way to solve this problem without nuclear power,” says Environmental Progress Founder Michael Shellenberger.
Those against this bill say the free market has spoken and this amounts to a bailout.
Right now, the Three Mile Island nuclear plant is set to close in September.