Dauphin County's Three Mile Island
Jeff Fusco / Getty Images
Dauphin County's Three Mile Island
Jeff Fusco / Getty Images
Pennsylvania Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) on Monday introduced a bill aimed at keeping two of the stateās five nuclear plants from retiring early.
The bill recognizes the plants as āzero emissionā sources and creates new requirements about how electric companies are to purchase power. The measure faces strong opposition from the natural gas industry, as well as industrial and consumer groups, including the AARP.
The bill comes amid more than two years of intense lobbying on the issue in Harrisburg. Exelon is planning to shutter its Three Mile Island plant near Harrisburg this fall. FirstEnergy intends to retire its Beaver Valley plant ahead of schedule in 2021. The early closures are part of a broader trend across the U.S. as the industry has struggled amid slowing demand for electricity and competition from cheaper natural gas and renewables.
Mehaffie had said he andĀ Sen. Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster) would introduce companion bills at the same time, but only the House bill was put forward Monday morning.
Check StateImpact Pennsylvania for more reporting on the bill later today.
Here is the bill language:
Pa. House version of nuclear bailout bill (Text)
StateImpact Pennsylvania is a collaboration among WITF, WHYY, and the Allegheny Front. Reporters Reid Frazier, Rachel McDevitt and Susan PhillipsĀ cover the commonwealth’s energy economy. Read their reports on this site, and hear them on public radio stations across Pennsylvania.
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StateImpact Pennsylvania is a collaboration among WITF, WHYY, and the Allegheny Front. Reporters Reid Frazier, Rachel McDevitt and Susan PhillipsĀ cover the commonwealth’s energy economy. Read their reports on this site, and hear them on public radio stations across Pennsylvania.
Climate Solutions, a collaboration of news organizations, educational institutions and a theater company, uses engagement, education and storytelling to help central Pennsylvanians toward climate change literacy, resilience and adaptation. Our work will amplify how people are finding solutions to the challenges presented by a warming world.