Bellying up to the trough

Some smart people at Exelon - the carbon tax is supposed to be used to subsidize non-petrolium energy development. These are some of our tax dollars that subsidize windmills and solar power.

From City Lab (part of Atlantic Magazine):

Nuclear Power Fights for a Spot in Illinois' Clean Energy Future
With hard times setting in for some nuclear power plants, Illinois state legislators are trying to decide whether they should put nuclear facilities on life support, or lay them to rest early.

A combination of market forces and policy choices has made the nuclear business tougher in recent years, and that’s the case at two facilities in Illinois operated by Exelon. The company is telling lawmakers that the money-losing reactors will have to be brought offline prematurely unless the state lends support. That would result in lost jobs and a big dip in the state’s capacity to produce electricity—one that could have dirty, carbon-burning power plants stepping up to close the gap. With jobs, tax dollars, and environmental quality at stake, it’s turned into a dramatic battle in the final days of the state’s legislative session.

Exelon is searching for a way to subsidize the struggling plants, arguing that the steady, zero-carbon energy source is a public good worthy of public support. One idea in particular is dividing environmental groups: Should nuclear plants, by virtue of being carbon-free, be grouped in with solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources in state initiatives to clean up the grid? It’s a dilemma that could soon spill over into other states as the business and policy landscapes change around clean energy.

Excelon is asking for a very clever change to the subsidization:

Exelon proposed a change: switching from a renewable energy standard to a clean—or zero-emissions—standard. That would give nuclear a new role in the state’s non-carbon energy regulations and, proponents argue, give the struggling plants just enough of a boost to keep them open.

Right now, the state of Illinois requires 25 percent of the energy sold by utilities in the state to come from renewable sources, mostly wind and solar. This will be a nice game-changer...