Rochester Residents Urge Public Service Commission to Reject Proposed Consumer Subsidy for Ginna Nuclear Power Reactor

A group of concerned Rochester residents, including summer residents near Naples, NY, have written to the New York State Department of Public Service to express their opposition to the proposed consumer subsidy for the Ginna nuclear power reactor. The subsidy, which would cost an estimated $175 million to Rochester-area consumers, would unnecessarily prolong the life of the dangerous Ginna nuclear reactor. Instead, residents urge the Public Service Commission to support lower-cost, safer, and cleaner alternatives such as energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.

Key Takeaways:

• The proposed consumer subsidy for the Ginna nuclear power reactor would cost an estimated $175 million to Rochester-area consumers.
• The subsidy would unnecessarily prolong the life of the dangerous Ginna nuclear reactor, which is one of the oldest nuclear reactors in the U.S.
• Residents urge the Public Service Commission to support lower-cost, safer, and cleaner alternatives such as energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.
• The Rochester area cannot afford the rate-hike, as the city has the highest rate of extreme poverty of any comparably sized city in the United States.
• Residents request the Public Service Commission to hold Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) accountable for its planning failures that led to this situation.
• The utility company should bear the costs of the subsidy, and be forbidden to pass them on to customers.
• The Public Service Commission should take the time needed to properly consider safer, cleaner, and more affordable alternatives and to develop a transition plan that protects workers, the public, and the environment.

Statistics:

• Estimated cost of the consumer subsidy: $175 million
• Number of people living in extreme poverty in the Rochester area: unknown (mentioned as having the highest rate of extreme poverty of any comparably sized city in the United States)
• Number of years that Ginna has been in operation: unknown (mentioned as being one of the oldest nuclear reactors in the U.S.)
• Number of good jobs that could be provided by energy efficiency, demand response, renewables, and storage: unknown (mentioned as a potential outcome of Ginna's closure)

Sources:

• Letter to the Secretary of the New York State Department of Public Service, undated (exact date not specified, but mentioned as being written in response to the proposed consumer subsidy)
• Information from the Public Service Commission
• Data on the Rochester area's economic indicators, unknown (not specified in the provided text)