What is Nuclear Cost Recovery?

Wise Up!

Do You Want Higher Electric Bills?

Florida Power and Light and Progress Energy are charging their customers NOW for reactors they may build in the next decade. Estimates have soared to over $40 billion, and the timeline for both utilities has already been delayed. By 2020 Progress Energy will add nearly $50 a month to your bill to pay for two new risky nuclear reactors in Levy County before they ever produce any electricity, even if the reactors are never built. Current estimates are over $20 billion and the project has experienced a 5-year delay.

Florida Power & Light (FPL) is also charging its customers now for costs associated with building two new reactors at their Turkey Point plant near Miami, FL. Estimated costs have also soared to nearly $20 billion and the project is also delayed.

How Did This Happen?

Florida’s Legislature gave power companies direct access to your wallet with minimal accountability when they passed Senate Bill 888 in 2006 and the 2008 Florida Energy Bill. Then the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) gave approval to the utilities in 2009 and again in 2010 to charge you in advance for hundreds of millions of dollars for these costly new reactors. In 2011, the legislature voted against an amendment that would end this scheme and the PSC once again approved the utilities requests for millions.

This year, the utilities  requested a combined $354 million of our hard earned dollars. The PSC approved $282 million, bringing the total to almost $1 billion for reactors that may or may not ever be built! This year is the first time the Florida PSC has has denied any portion of the amount the utilities have requested.

Some legislators are working hard to stop this madness. Senator Mike Fasano (New Port Richey) voted FOR the legislation in 2006 and now actively campaigns against it. He wrote letters to the legislatures in North Carolina and Iowa when they considered passing similar legislation in 2010. He has introduced SB 740 to repeal nuclear cost recovery, with Michelle Rehwinkel-Vasilinda supporting the effort by introducing HB 4301 that also aims to repeal.

Take Action!

• The Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan serves as a frighteningly stark reminder that nuclear power is not safe or clean. While efforts continue to stabilize this multiple reactor meltdown, radiation continues to be released into the air and water and has already circled the globe.
• In 2010, we all watched in horror as the BP oil disaster plagued and devastated the beautiful and bountiful Gulf of Mexico. It has become painfully obvious that the high risk energy industry and their regulators will continue to put profit over people and the environment.
• With evidence that the yet-to-be-certified Westinghouse AP 1000 reactor design proposed by Progress and FPL for here in Florida is flawed, how can we, the ratepayers, allow the utilities to take our money up front to pay for their risky plans?

Take action to repeal nuclear cost recovery in Florida:

• Contact Governor Rick Scott, your Senator and your Representativetoday! Ask them to:
  • Support Representative Rehwinkel-Vasilinda’s HB 4031 as legislation that protects your wallet and your consumer rights;
  • Repeal nuclear cost recovery (Statute 366.93);
  • Contact Senator Mike Fasano and thank him for his efforts to protect us from these sneaky financing schemes;
  • Say YES to efficiency and renewable energy! We need more solar in the Sunshine State!