A Department of Energy (DOE) Task Force has just backed a key demand made over the last eight months by climate scientists and environmentalists organized by Environmental Progress: that the federal government end policy discrimination against nuclear power that is causing our clean energy crisis.
 

In calling for a price on carbon or the temporary support for nuclear, the DOE task force is acknowledging that energy production tax credits are not the ideal, long-term solution, but should be given temporarily to save America's largest source of clean power.

The federal government has subsidized wind energy production at a similar level for 23 years.

 

Read More

The anti-nuclear lobbying firm, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is defending as legitimate the false cost data provided by Pacific Gas & Electric to the California Public Utilities Commission. 

Cavanagh's proposal that the California people just trust PG&E's numbers — after everything that's happened with PG&E and the CPUC over the last five years — is offensive.

Read More

A California anti-nuclear group has apparently dropped its powerful attorney after Environmental Progress reported on his still-unexplained involvement with an aspect of the settlement for the closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), which is currently under criminal investigation.

Read More

In a Protest with the California Public Utilities Commission, the Sierra Club — which has been anti-nuclear since the early 1970s — says closing California's last nuclear plant could increase carbon emissions and efforts to replace it with other forms of clean energy could be "illusory."

Is this a sign that the Club is sincere about carbon emissions? Or just more public relations to reassure the public that it cares about climate change — and not just tearing down nuclear plants?

Read More

Environmental Progress has discovered that the core assumption being made in Pacific Gas & Electric's (PG&E) proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to raise electricity rates is contradicted by California state officials and by PG&E's own consultant.

CP also finds that achieving California's new climate target will requiring reducing emissions seven times faster between now and 2030 than it did between 2000 and 2014 — all while California's population and electricity demand are likely to grow at least 13 percent.  

EP's investigation and analysis of emissions and energy data were done as part of EP's Protest [pdf] filed September 15, 2016 with the California Public Utilities Commission.

Read More

Which is it? Did Geesman talk about the research center, as he told the SD Union Tribune last year, or did he just listen to Peevey, as he claims above?

The answer matters because from the first moment that Peevey laid out settlement terms to Southern California Edison in Poland, which included a $5 - 10 million line item for a research center, Peevey was insisting that Geesman be involved. 

Read More

Yesterday Environmental Progress introduced a motion [pdf] and exhibits to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) arguing that it should suspend action on Pacific Gas & Electric's proposal to close California's largest source of clean energy, Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, until:

• the CPUC releases secret emails that may contain evidence of criminal activity involving the current and past President of the CPUC relating the closure of a different nuclear plant;
• before the pending criminal investigations and related processes in which the CPUC is entangled are completed, and their outcomes disclosed to the public;
• the California legislature implements sweeping reforms of the CPUC.

EP's motion comes:

• One week after CPUC President Michael Picker helped kill in the California legislature what was already compromise legislation to reform CPUC;
• One week after a California Appeals Court reversed a lower court's ruling that Picker had to release secret emails that may contain evidence of criminal activities — a ruling that will now likely go to the state's Supreme Court;
• One month after over 60 esteemed climate scientists, environmental scientists, scholars and activists sent an open letter to Gov. Jerry Brown urging him to move consideration of PG&E's Diablo Canyon closure proposal from the CPUC to the legislature.

The language from the motion [pdf] follows below. Exhibits are here. 

Read More

Climate scientist James Hansen, Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand and other scientists and environmentalists are urging Governor Jerry Brown to let the state legislature, not the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) decide the fate of Diablo Canyon, which provides 21 percent of the state's clean power.
 

Read More

As the first state to value nuclear for its environmental benefits, New York gives Environmental Progress and the pro-nuclear environmental movement the momentum we need to save one-quarter of Illinois’ clean power — but only if we act quickly. After the November elections, there will be a very brief “veto session” in the Illinois legislature. If the legislature fails to act, Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear plants will be closed and replaced with fossil fuels. We have 100 days to act. We can win this. Here’s how.

Read More

Next Monday, the state of New York may make climate change history. The NY Public Service Commission will vote on a measure that would not only prevent three nuclear power plants from being replaced by fossil fuels, it would also establish an important precedent that could be replicated across the U.S. and even in Europe. The CES is by no means a done deal. It is being opposed by the usual suspects, including the Sierra Club and Riverkeeper. For that reason Environmental Progress is mobilizing pro-nuclear supporters to come to Albany to urge Commissioners to do the right thing. 

If they do the right thing for the climate and New York, there will be plenty of credit to go around — especially to the courageous workers of Fitz, the supportive elected officials and IBEW 97. Had they given up, then so too might have Gov. Cuomo, Entergy and Exelon.  

Read More

We applaud the proposal by the New York State’s Department of Public Service (NYSDPS) for a Clean Energy Standard (CES) that includes a Zero-Emissions Credit (ZEC) for nuclear power plants. If New York loses its nuclear power plants they will be replaced by fossil fuels, and greenhouse emissions from the state’s power sector would skyrocket roughly 50 percent. The proposed Clean Energy Standard’s Zero-Emissions Credits would likely generate economic benefits four times larger than the maximum cost. In recognizing the value of zero-emissions power, the proposed CES and ZEC will ensure New York retains its leadership on climate change and clean energy. 

Read More

"What is absolutely outrageous is to suggest you can take Diablo Canyon offline and not increase our dependence on methane, fracked gas and not increase carbon emissions,” said Michael Shellenberger, president of Environmental Progress, a pro-nuclear environmental group based in Berkeley.

Read More

Independent and industry experts agree that carbon emissions would rise from increased natural gas use were Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant to close. "California's current emissions cap is very unlikely to be binding," said UC Berkeley economist Severin Borenstein, "so losing Diablo would raise emissions.” PIRA Energy Group found natural gas use would rise 34 percent in northern California. And electricity expert Revis James called the deal "risky, complex and expensive." 

Read More

Diablo Canyon will be mostly replaced by natural gas and emissions will increase if the Joint Proposal by PG&E, IBEW 1245, and anti-nuclear groups is approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and upheld by the courts. Further, the percentage of electricity PG&E derives from low-carbon energy sources will decline from 58 to 55 percent. How do we know? Because we read the fine print.

Read More

The back-room Diablo Canyon deal — negotiated by corrupt institutions behaving unethically and perhaps illegally — will fail. It will fail because it will would put our children and grandchildren at risk. It will be rejected by the people of California, policymakers and the courts because of the human suffering and environmental harm it would cause. It will fail because everyone now knows — and Sierra Club and NRDC have admitted — that closing nuclear plants will increase fossil fuels and carbon emissions. It will fail because when people understand that the proposal is based on a big lie — that Diablo can be closed without increasing fossil fuel use, methane emissions and carbon emissions — they will reject it, and the leadership of the institutions who negotiated it.

Read More

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says if Illinois nuclear plants are closed they would be replaced mostly by coal. Meanwhile, the head of Illinois anti-nuclear organization Environmental Law and Policy Center — which is funded by fossil fuel interests and other energy companies that would benefit from closing nuclear plants — has doubled down on his efforts to increase carbon emissions by closing nuclear power plants and replacing them with fossil fuels.

 

Read More

Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, claims Illinois ratepayers bailed out the state’s nuclear plants, and that Exelon is simply seeking corporate welfar. This is simply false. Illinois nuclear plants were never subsidized by ratepayers using any standard definition of the word "subsidy." By contrast, solar and wind have been heavily subsidized for over a decade — and Attorney General Madigan strongly supports those subsidies. What we need is fair and equal treatment of all forms of clean energy. Madigan should embrace this principal of fairness and equality.

Read More