GUEST COLUMN
rom the Industrial Revolution to the present, Boilermakers have played a key role in our nation’s history. Our expertise allowed industry to harness steam for power and steel production, help construct the thousands of ships needed for the war effort during World War II, and manufacture the aluminumbased fuel for the space shuttle’s solid rocket boosters. And it was Boilermakers from right here in Pennsylvania who crafted the structural sections of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
Beginning in the latter half of the 20th century and continuing today, our highly skilled members also have built and serviced nuclear power plants that provide clean, reliable electricity for millions of homes and businesses. Pennsylvania today ranks second in the nation for nuclear power generating capacity, owed to a long tradition of nuclear energy leadership and technological innovation. But that great history – and with it thousands of goodpaying jobs – is now at stake. Our members and their families are greatly concerned.
Currently, two of Pennsylvania’s five nuclear plants are scheduled to close prematurely. Last year, Exelon announced that Three Mile Island near Harrisburg will close in 2019. And just last week, FirstEnergy announced plans to close its Beaver Valley Power Station located near Pittsburgh within the next three years. This can be avoided. The owners of these power plants believe there is a need for public policy changes that will allow these critically important assets to continue operating by fairly valuing the many benefits provided by nuclear energy. And we agree.
Combined, Three Mile Island and Beaver Valley directly employ nearly 1,500 Pennsylvanians as well as thousands of Building and Construction Trades workers during refueling outages, like those currently employed at Exelon’s Limerick Generating Station in Montgomery County and Talen Energy’s Susquehanna Steam Electric Station in Luzerne County. Together, Pennsylvania’s five nuclear plants contribute approximately $2 billion to the state economy, are responsible for 16,000 full-time direct and indirect in-state jobs, and contribute $69 million in net state tax revenues annually, which helps fund important community services like schools, roads, and law enforcement.
In addition to powering our economy, nuclear energy also keeps our air cleaner. Pennsylvania’s five nuclear power plants produce 93 percent of the Commonwealth’s carbon-free electricity and help avoid 37 million tons of CO2 emissions per year, which is the equivalent of taking all of Pennsylvania’s 8 million registered passenger cars off the road. Nuclear power is the only clean energy source that can reliably produce large amounts of electricity around the clock.
These statistics reinforce the message our members and supporters of nuclear energy have been consistently communicating: Nuclear power is vital to our state’s economic and environmental health. However, the potential loss of two of our state’s five nuclear power plants is something Pennsylvania cannot sustain.
We believe this outcome is avoidable as long as policymakers are committed to solving the problem. That’s why the members of Boilermakers Local 13 are proud to be part of Nuclear Powers Pennsylvania, a statewide coalition that is working to educate all Pennsylvanians about the economic and environmental benefits of nuclear energy and the industry’s positive impact on local communities throughout the Keystone State. These nuclear plants are tremendous assets in many ways – assets we can ill afford to lose.
The challenges facing nuclear power are very real and must be addressed immediately for the sake of Pennsylvania’s economy and the thousands of hard-working Pennsylvanians who depend on the nuclear industry for employment. We are very pleased with the recent announcement from the Pennsylvania Nuclear Energy Caucus expressing great concern about the announcement of the premature retirement of Beaver Valley and look forward to working with all members of the state General Assembly to advance policies promoting the long-term economic, environmental, and consumer benefits of nuclear power.