In my state the power companys were mandated to invest in renewable energy. oh wait I mean they forced me to invest for then.. it's on my electric bill. catch 22 don't you think.

__________________
What have you done TODAY to CUT waste. NOTHING?
GOOD JOB!!!!

Well, people in my State and the surrounding New England States are forced to accept the pollution rained down on us, the sulfuric acid and the mercury, because the Reagan-Bush-Bush administrations did everything they could to avoid implement the law signed by Nixon creating the mandates and the EPA to define and enforce them.

And because of our location at the long end of the oil and gas pipelines and our climate, we are most likely paying more for our electricity than you are, and a major part of our power comes from too cheap to meter nuclear power from Seabrook nuclear which was such a financial disaster that I'm paying a surcharge on the losses from selling that off in a bankruptcy.

And that all took place with Republicans dominating the political and legal climate, and the last thing they wanted to do is force the investors who took the risk of investing in Seabrook to take responsibility for their stupid and highly risky investments. Of course, the deregulation that was supposed to increase competition and cut electricity prices has only increased prices, and created many more problems than the old "big government" regulatory system.

Oh, and one of the other nuclear plants in the area, the Vermont Yankee plant which is one of the oldest, and in the process of having its operating license extended, had one of its cooling towers collapse unexpectedly. Clearly the nuclear plant operator neglected inspections and maintanence of that part of the plant, presumably to cut costs and increase profits. In an of itself it wasn't a public safety problem, but if the plant had been operating at full power during a summer heat wave with cooling water coming in at a high temperature, the plant would have had to shutdown or at least cut way back on its power generation, possibly causing blackouts in the region.

If you are absolutely opposed to any government welfare for nuclear power plants, in other words, you are opposed to everything that Bush and other Republicans have been calling for in order to promote nuclear power plants, why should I care about you being mandated to pay for wind power when you are in favor of forcing me to pay high electricity rates in order to suport the financial failures of nuclear power.

If nuclear power is cost competitive, then fine, let the banks, share holders, insurance companies, and all the private parties put their own wealth at risk without looking to taxpayers and utility customers for corporate welfare and bailouts. But the facts tell a different story - they tout how cheap nuclear power is by pointing to the rate charged, but never include the corporate welfare tax added on to pay for half the losses on the investment in nuclear.