Sunday, May 31, 2015

Exelon to decide fate of Quad Cities nuclear power plant in September: CEO


Louisville, Kentucky (Platts)--29May2015/526 pm EDT/2126 GMT


Exelon CEO Christopher Crane said the nation's largest nuclear generator will decide in September whether to close its money-losing, 1,824-MW Quad Cities merchant nuclear plant in Illinois.

Time is running out for Exelon to craft an economic solution for three Illinois nuclear plants -- Byron and Clinton are the others, totaling about 5,000 MW of generation -- Crane said in comments webcast Thursday from the Sanford Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference in New York.

The Chicago-based company had hoped the Illinois General Assembly would pass Exelon-backed legislation creating a low-carbon portfolio standard to provide the nuclear plants with an estimated $300 million/year in economic support before its 2015 regular session adjourns late next week.

That appears unlikely, although lawmakers still could consider the legislation during a two-week fall veto session in November.

Read more by clicking on the following:  http://www.platts.com/latest-news/electric-power/louisville-kentucky/exelon-to-decide-fate-of-quad-cities-nuclear-21526498

Madigan says House will be in 'continuous' summer session

Posted May 31, 2015 at 1:37 PM


Illinois' House Speaker says his chamber plans to be in "continuous session" throughout the summer.

Chicago Democrat Michael Madigan made the announcement Sunday, the last regularly scheduled day of the spring session.

The chambers plan to finish business without consensus on a 2016 budget approved by Democrats that is more than $3 billion out of balance. GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner says he won't sign the plan until Democrats pass some of his priorities.

Madigan says the next scheduled session day will be Thursday. He's warned the chamber's 118 members that they won't be receiving either mileage reimbursements or per diem pay.

Madigan says members could be called back to Springfield with as little as 48 hours' notice.

Obamacare: 44% of Californians say it's difficult to pay their monthly premiums



A new survey shows that 44% of Covered California policyholders find it difficult paying their monthly premiums for Obamacare coverage.
And a similar percentage of uninsured Californians say the high cost of coverage is the main reason they go without health insurance.
The issue of just how much people can afford will loom large as the state exchange prepares to negotiate with health insurers over next year's rates.

 


Many analysts are predicting bigger premium increases for 2016 in California and across the country. Insurers have more details on the medical costs of enrollees, and some federal programs that help protect health plans from unpredictable claims will be winding down.
This latest pulse on consumer attitudes is drawn from a Kaiser Family Foundation survey of 4,555 Californians from September to December 2014. It examined the experiences of people in Covered California, Medi-Cal, other private coverage and the uninsured.
Forty-four percent of exchange policyholders surveyed said it's somewhat or very difficult to afford their premiums. That's compared with 25% of adults who had employer-based or other private health insurance.
Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, acknowledged that many Californians find it hard to fit health insurance premiums into their household budget, even when they qualify for generous federal subsidies.
"If you are making $25,000 a year that $70 premium is still a struggle," Lee said. "The Affordable Care Act is providing nobody with a free lunch. This issue of making healthcare affordable is not easy."
Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser Permanente and other health insurers have submitted their proposed 2016 rates for individual policies to Covered California, and negotiations are expected to begin next month.
The final statewide rates should be announced in July, Lee said. For 2015, the average rate increase was 4.2%.
The consumer survey also delved into patient satisfaction with their health insurer and access to care.
Among Covered California members, 74% rated their coverage as excellent or good. It was 88% among people with other private coverage.
Ninety-one percent of exchange customers said it was easy to get to their usual source of medical care, matching the response among people with other types of private coverage.
And 59% of Covered California enrollees had a checkup or preventive care visit by the fall of 2014. But 18% of exchange policyholders said a medical provider would not accept them as a new patient.
Many consumers have complained about a shortage of participating doctors in narrower Covered California networks and problems getting accurate information from insurers' provider directories.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Union presses measure to prevent strike, lockout




SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Union-friendly Illinois Democrats say Gov. Bruce Rauner has so poisoned contract negotiations with state workers that they pushed legislation Thursday that would prohibit either a strike or the Republican governor locking workers out.
A House committee endorsed a measure backed by the state council of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees to require binding arbitration in case the two sides reach an impasse.
It moved to the House floor, with just three days left in the legislative session, on a partisan, 16-9 vote of the House Labor and Commerce Committee.
The new governor, who has made curbing union influence a hallmark of his first six months in office, wants a wage freeze and benefit concessions, according to memos circulated to AFSCME's 38,000 members. AFSCME Deputy Director Mike Newman told the committee the union has never seen such a hostile tone in three decades of collective bargaining.
"Instead of working to reach a fair settlement, and avoiding a strike," Newman said, "the administration seems to be focused primarily on planning for a lengthy and painful strike."
The legislation would ban a strike or lockout and require a deadlock be broken by a mutually agreed upon independent arbitrator who would render a decision. The process is currently only available to security workers such as prison guards whose jobs are so important a strike would be devastating.
Jack Vrett, a labor relations lawyer for Rauner's personnel agency, said the proposal would allow either side to call in an arbitrator, not require both sides to agree one's necessary. He said an arbitrator deciding on a taxpayer-financed contract is inappropriate because he or she is not elected - "it's not a democratic process."
Vrett also disputed Newman's contention that the two sides are so far apart on a deal that would replace the current pact expiring June 30. Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said later, "We are negotiating in good faith."
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The bill is HB1229.
 
Above is from:  http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IL_XGR_UNION_STRIKE_ILOL-?SITE=ILBLO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT