nuclear-news

U.S. Supreme Court to hear challenge against nuclear plant

South Carolina’s nuclear fight with Obama heads to Supreme Court, South Carolina News 23 Feb 2010 In what could have far-reaching implications for efforts to build new nuclear power plants in the U.S., the South Carolina Supreme Court as set a hearing date on a challenge against a new nuclear reactor project planned in the state.

The March 4, 10:00 a.m., hearing at the Supreme Court in Columbia will consider the appeal by the environmental organization Friends of the Earth of a decision by the South Carolina Public Service Commission (PSC) allowing South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) to proceed with a costly two-reactor nuclear project and to begin collecting rates to pay for it.SCE&G’s reactor project is widely considered to be on the Department of obama Energy’s short list of four projects being considered for a federally subsidized “loan guarantee”.Friends of the Earth and a host of other public interest groups believe that loan guarantees constitute an unwarranted give-away to an industry which should be forced to compete in the free market and not depend on a tax payer bailout….
Friends of the Earth claims in its appeal that he PSC erred in its February 2009 decision allowing the project to go forward by not adequately requiring SCE&G to present energy alternatives  and by not fully considering the cost of the project.  The appeal also challenges aspects of the S.C. law, the Baseload Review Act, which forces rate payers to pay for the nuclear project far in advance of its operation and also in the event the project is cancelled mid-stream. FOE claims that this “construction work in progress” (CWIP) law is unconstitutional as it forces rate payers to pay for something they may never receive.   Friends of the Earth has claimed that the PSC gave SCE&G a “blank check” for the project’s costs as SCE&G could not give a cost of electricity coming for the reactors nor guarantee a final cost for the project.

South Carolina’s nuclear fight with Obama heads to Supreme Court |

February 23, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes